


Best Served Cold...

by eena



Category: Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter - Laurell K. Hamilton, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Adult Content, Angst, Crossover, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Light BDSM
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-03-30
Updated: 2006-03-30
Packaged: 2019-02-05 17:18:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 34
Words: 62,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12798840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eena/pseuds/eena
Summary: Willow gets caught up in someone's need for revenge . . .





	1. Chapter 1  Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Haven, the archivist: This story was originally archived at [Fandom Haven Story Archive (FHSA)](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Fandom_Haven_Story_Archive), was scheduled to shut down at the end of 2016. To preserve the archive, I began working with the OTW to transfer the stories to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in November 2017. If you are this creator and the work hasn't transferred to your AO3 account, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Fandom Haven Story Archive collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/fhsa/profile).

  
Author's notes: For this fic, Willow stopped magic after Tara left her. And the AB verse exists alongside the BTVS verse. The different vamps from each series will be portrayed as different species.  


* * *

She sat, rather bored, at the table in front of the bar. She didn't know she bothered to come tonight. Honestly, a theme night at the Bronze? Who's lame-ass idea was that? And why would Anya feel the need to attend, dragging Xander, and therefore Willow, with her.

 

The redhead sighed, eyes going to the dance floor. She couldn't help but giggle at the sight of her best friend flailing around on the dance floor with his fiancee. Well, it wasn't as bad as before. Xander was kind of getting the hang of it now, but still, he was far off from being okay at it.

 

Willow wrinkled up her nose, distasteful of the idea that just struck her. What if Anya wanted something like this at the wedding? What if she forced everyone to? That would be disastrous, especially with the mix of people coming. Demons and humans, all coming together to see Xander and Anya joined in holy matrimony.

 

That is, they will see them joined in holy matrimony if a fight doesn't break out. And considering Buffy was one of the bridesmaids . . . Well, how many demons you know that want to be in a confined space with the Slayer?

 

Speaking of the Slayer, Buffy had abandoned her on this night. The blonde had begged off, claiming the need to patrol early tonight. Apparently some of the vamps had been more agitated as of late for some reason, and she wanted to make sure nothing chaotic went down as a result of it. Of course, if you wanted to follow that kind of reasoning, Buffy should have been here. After all, the Bronze was where all the baddies went to get their chaos on.

 

Unless they were headed for the school that is. But the school wasn't even standing anymore, so that was out of the question. And where else would vampires find a mass congregation of people in Sunnydale but the Bronze?

 

Willow gave another sigh, looking down into her drink as she swirled it mindlessly. She kind of wished she drank some more, cause getting drunk would be a nice distraction for her problems as of late. But sadly, she could not do so. Getting drunk in Sunnydale always ended up being more trouble than it was worth.

 

Green eyes went to the dance floor again, noting that Anya and Xander had a lot more rhythm than before. Good for them.

 

"You want to try it?"

 

The voice in her ear startled her, causing her to spill her drink on the table. A chuckle in her ear brought her to her senses rather quickly. The redhead rolled her eyes, giving a bit of growl before turning around to glare at the person behind her. She only got another laugh in response.

 

"Is there any reason why you're creeping up on me?" she asked snidely, turning back to the table to wipe up the spill of her drink.

 

"Do I need one?" was the equally snide reply. She heard the scraping of chair legs as he pulled out the one across from her and sat down.

 

"What's up Spike?" she finally asked, raising what she hoped was irritated eyes to him. The vampire in question only laughed again, folding his arms on the table, leaning his chin on them as he looked at her.

 

"Nothin'," he denied. "I was bored and thought to myself 'what is the best source of entertainment in this town?' And the answer came to me right away-Red!"

 

She tried to keep an annoyed expression after that, but it just wasn't working. The smile began tugging at the corner of her lips and Spike only grinned wider at the signs of it.

 

"Oh just smile Red," he admonished her. "You know it's going to happen eventually, so just give in."

 

There it was, the smile. She gave it begrudgingly, letting him know with her eyes that it was against her will.

 

"You know, it's not a crime to feel better," he continued to say. "So the witch left you and you had to give up on the mojo, not the end of the world. I mean, you've seen enough of that to know the difference."

 

"Spike, is there a reason for this?"

 

"I told you, I'm bored!" he rolled his eyes, catching the sight of Anya and Xander on the dance floor. "You want to try it?"

 

It always amazed her how he could change subjects so quickly, but still be talking about the same thing.

 

"You want to swing dance?"

 

"I wouldn't ask unless I did," he rolled his eyes again. "Come on, you know you want to."

 

"I do?" she arched an eyebrow. He nodded.

 

"Of course you do," he tossed her another grin, extending his hand to her as he stood up. She frowned at it, at him, for a second before giving a mental shrug and clasping his hand with her own. He gave her a wolfish grin before pulling her onto the dance floor.

 

*****

 

Cool blue eyes watched as he left his crypt, shrugging on his jacket with ease. So it was true, he was here. Had been here for a while. Strange since he was such a wanderer by nature. He never stayed in one spot for too long. He either got bored, or someone would chase him out. He did have a tendency to make people angry with him.

 

Funny, his time here had made him careless. His mind was racing, not even properly shielded as he wandered the streets. He did not know that someone was following him, reading his freeflowing thoughts. This was stupid of him, even more so than usual. He was being so lax.

 

He followed behind his prey, hearing his thoughts as he came to a conclusion. The image of red hair and green eyes came to him, along with something very strange. A title, of friend.

 

This vampire never had any friends. He had minions, he had sires, he had masters, but he never had had any friends. What a curious notion.

 

And so he continued to stalk him, marveling at the vampire's ignorance. He was getting far too relaxed in this town. Into the club he had followed, watching him converse with the redhead from his mind's eye. He watched as he dragged her off to the dance floor, spinning her around, laughing and smiling to his heart's content.

 

How sweet.

 

He honestly wondered how this could be the group of people he had heard so much about. They were practically clueless to his very existence. He followed them to their Magic Shop, watching them converse with the Slayer. Only she showed some inclination of his presence, twitching slightly as she looked out to the night. But apparently she had more on her mind than him at the this moment.

 

He watched as HE left with her, on some sort of demon hunt. A purple one, he thought he heard her say. The redhead stayed with her friends at the shop, for awhile, heading home at the end.

 

And that was all he had been waiting for.

 

*****

 

Spike trailed behind Buffy, a scowl on his face. He loved her, but didn't. And she just loved to jerk him around, telling him he was nothing, but the next day coming running to him with some sort of demon, internal and external.

 

They were rounding the corner when they heard the faint sounds of screams and shouts. They were about three blocks from the Magic Shop. Wordlessly, the vampire and the Slayer exchanged a look before breaking out into a panicked run. Less than a block away, he felt it happen, falling to his knees when he recognized the feeling.

 

Buffy skidded to a stop, looking at him incredulously. He just jumped up, running past her and towards the shop as fast as he could. He heard her right behind him, but for once, he didn't think on that, think on her.

 

They rounded the final corner, stopping dead in their tracks at the sight. Xander and Anya lay in a heap on the street. He saw the blonde hair, picked out the blue eyes, and the redhead trapped in its arms. His eyes went wide, fear welling up in him along with understanding.

 

"Don't-"

 

But he turned, taking off in a instant. They couldn't follow, no way would they be able to follow. They were both out of sight within seconds, before vampire and Slayer could even make it to the conscious peoples on the street.

 

"Willow!"

 

The cry came from the Slayer, wrought with panic. She turned to him, blue eyes clouded with horror.

 

"Spike! What do we do?"

 

He didn't have an answer, so shocked was he by it all. He tried to form words, but none came to him. And finally, he was able to spit out some instructions, some answer.

 

"Call Angel. Now."


	2. Chapter 2  The Way It Went Down

Willow didn't know how it happened, or even why. Buffy had paged her, ranting about some sort of purple demon she had come across during patrol. Quickly, her and her friends made their way to the Magic Shop.

 

Buffy had been bleeding when they arrived. Xander, Anya, and Spike were sent to the books while the redhead patched up her friend. Buffy seemed too on edge, casting frequent glances out of the window while Willow worked. But they all attributed it to the demon she had come across.

 

After Anya found said demon, Buffy and Spike were sent on a quick slaying mission. All they needed to do was stab the demon in the lower back, because for some reason that's where its heart was. The other three had remained at the shop for an hour or so, cleaning up and putting all books away. They had been ready to go home, sending Xander to go start the car, when everything went downhill.

 

They heard the oddest thump and muffled grunt just as they walked out the store door. Turning, Willow saw Xander, out cold on the street before she saw Anya.

 

Her blood ran cold, eyes going from Anya to the man holding her tight by the throat. There was a silence as they stared at one another, giving her time to take him in. Blue eyes, golden hair swept over one side of his face, and features of a Greek god. Pale skin and victorious smirk on his face.

 

"Bonjour."

 

And French. He was French and so totally a vampire that Willow wanted to scream in terror. This wasn't a run of the mill vampire, not the vagabonds as Spike's kind was called. No, this was one of the originals, the real vampires, the ones with powers and strength the others just didn't.

 

Anya gave a squeak as his hold on her throat increased just slightly. That jarred Willow out of her shock.

 

"What do you want?" she ventured shakily, eying her imperiled friends with fear.

 

"Well, that is an interesting question."

 

His voice was lovely, silky as it cascaded over her skin. Willow shivered, looking at Anya frantically. The former demon just looked back at the witch with wide eyes.

 

"Now, I do not wish for you to think this is at all your fault," the vampire continued, extending a hand to caress Anya's cheek gently. "This really has nothing to do with you or your friends, but you see, there is something that I need of you. I am terribly sorry that you are being dragged into this, but you see, revenge waits for no one."

 

"Revenge?" Willow repeated. "Against who? Why?"

 

"Do not worry, he will know," the vampire continued, turning to look at Willow again. "But you my dear, you have a decision to make. Do as I say, or your dear friends die."

 

Blood was roaring in her ear, eyes flicking between Anya in his arms, and Xander out cold on the ground. Anya was squeaking, shaking her head the little bit she could. The blonde's eyes caught Willow's, desperately trying to convey a message to her. But Willow was in no position to say no to this vampire.

 

"What do you want from me?" Willow was confused, wringing her hands. "Why-"

 

"Human servant."

 

The words were foreign to her, but not to Anya. The former demon was struggling anew now, telling Willow to deny his request. The redhead cringed when the vampire tightened his hold on Anya, stilling her movements.

 

"What's a human servant?" Willow asked, stalling for time. Buffy and Spike wouldn't take that long to kill the demon. They would be heading back pretty soon, if she could just . . .

 

"Please ma petite," the vampire interjected, face unimpressed. "They would not make it here in time to save this one. I could snap her neck and be on my way in mere seconds. Now, no more stalling, no more questions. Answer: do you accept, or shall I just . . ."

 

He wrung Anya's neck just a little more. The blonde was almost blue in the face. Tears were pricking the redhead's eyes.

 

"Let her go!" she shrieked. "I'll do whatever you say, just let her go!"

 

A smirk came to his face. Before she knew it, Anya was on the floor, out cold with Xander. And the redhead was in his arms, staring into blue eyes that looked like they were glowing. Willow stared in confusion as his eyes got brighter and a strange sensation overtook her senses. There was a heat around her now, not burning, but distracting. She felt something inside of her growing, getting larger and larger as she stared into those blue eyes.

 

The scream left her lips before she knew it, and she snapped her eyes shut. The heat dissipated and Willow fell into darkness.

 

*****

 

When she awoke next, she was surrounded by coolness. Soft material, silk most likely, was all around her, caressing her skin in an almost soothing fashion. But the redhead wasn't completely soothed. Her mind was becoming awake, and finally she remembered the vampire.

Her eyes shot open and she flew into an upright position. Chest heaving, the redhead desperately tried to remember what happened to her. Something about a human servant and Anya and Xander . . .

 

She remembered passing out after some sort of altercation with the vampire. His eyes had glowed, burning an impression on her mind. She could still see them now, causing her to shiver.

 

The redhead shook her head, taking the time to look at her surroundings. It was a dark room, though a very nice one. There was a dresser, a closet, one of those great full length mirrors in the corner, and the bed she was currently on. It was a huge bed, lovely carved wooden posts and soft red silk sheets. The blanket on top of her was nice and warm, and tucked in around her. Looks like someone put her in there carefully.

 

And changed her clothes, because she saw them lying on a chair by the dresser. Panicked the redhead looked down, seeing that she was clad in a silk red shirt. What was with all the silk?

 

Her heart was pounding in her chest, her breaths coming out in shallow gasps. Slowly, the redhead slid off the bed, noting that the shirt only came to mid thigh and now she was extremely cold. Her legs felt oddly weak, causing her to stumble as she made her way to the only door in the room.

 

She reached it, turning the knob and becoming frustrated to find it was locked. The redhead tugged on it, all the while knowing there was no point. A sob escaped her before she could stop and she scolded herself. She was a smart independent woman who had been in tighter spots than this before. She could get herself out if she just maintained her calm.

 

She turned back around, moving quickly to the dresser. She rummaged through it, looking for a pin or something, anything to help her. But all she found were clothes, leather and silk every last one of them.

 

She had about to give up when the door quietly creaked open behind her. Willow spun, remembering she had no weapon, and tried to hide behind the dresser. She heard the words though, and knew she had been spotted anyway.

 

"You're awake. Good, we have much to discuss."


	3. Chapter 3  The Explanation As To Why

"What do you mean its your fault?"

 

Spike was wondering what on earth had caused him to fess up. Because after he did, one very irate blonde Slayer had him by the collar and a good three feet off the ground. He had never seen Buffy so angry at him, not even when he had kidnapped Willow or when she found out about his 'crush'. No, the Slayer had never looked like she was going to rip him apart, piece by piece, and enjoy it immensely.

 

"Buffy, maybe you should put him down," this from the whelp. "I would like to kill him too, but I don't think we're going to get much out of him if he's dead. Well, dead-ER. We need to find out what happened to Willow."

 

Spike made a few gurgling noises in agreement. Buffy narrowed her eyes before dropping Spike rather abruptly. The vampire fell to the ground, rubbing his throat and being awful glad he didn't need breathe considering how long Buffy had him suspended with his windpipe cut off.

 

"Like I was saying," Spike managed to croak. "This has nothing to do with you guys. It's about me and the Poof."

 

"What did you and Angel do?" 

 

Dawn, in the corner, curled up at Anya's side. The girl had rushed home after Buffy had informed her of what had happened. He could see by the look in her eyes that Nibblet was a little angry with him for all this. Hell, he was furious with himself, so he didn't hold that against her.

 

"He put the first mark on her," Anya brought up, voice shaking. "Do you even know how bad that is?"

 

"I do, I'm not a bloody moron," Spike rolled his eyes.

 

"What's the first mark?" Xander chose to ask at that instant. Buffy looked curious too, but keeping her eyes deadly as she looked at Spike.

 

"What's the first mark?" the Slayer demanded of him. "And why the hell did Mr. Vengeful Vamp give it to Willow?"

 

Spike honestly wondered if he should answer the question. He looked to Anya for help, but the former demon shook her head.

 

"This is your fault," she muttered darkly. "You explain it."

 

"The Poof was involved too!" Spike snapped. "And you're all acting like I planned this! This bullshit went down over a hundred years ago and if I had known he would come for Red, then- I wouldn't have let him."

 

The last part was said in a whisper. The vampire stared down at the floor, not even bothering to look up at the others.

 

"She's my friend too," he muttered. "She's my only friend. Never had one, not even when I was mortal. But Willow- that's why he took her. Because she's my friend. And he laid the mark on her to piss not only me, but Angelus off as well."

 

"Why?" Buffy demanded, tone less angry than before. "What happened?"

 

"It was over a hundred years ago," Spike muttered dejectedly. "We had an altercation with this vamp and a friend of his. They basically tried to drive us out of Paris because they thought Angelus was far too destructive to allow in their city. So we got angry and . . . "

 

"Come again?" Xander prompted. Spike sighed, fumbling for his lighter and cigarettes.

 

"We killed the lot of their friends," the vampire repeated, louder for all to hear. "We snuck up on them during the day, ripped their bodies to pieces and hung them on display for the Masters to find. I think it made them angry."

 

There was a silence after his confession, everyone thinking over what he said.

 

"He's not going to kill Willow, is he?" Dawn finally ventured in a tiny voice. Spike shook his head, sticking a cane in his mouth and lighting up. Buffy was quick to grab it from his mouth, sending him the 'don't-you-dare-smoke-in-my-house' look she always gave him.

 

"If he gave her the first mark, he's not planning on killing her," Anya answered for him. "He's just planning on ruining her life."That made Buffy go stiff with rage. Stormy blue eyes were turned his way and Spike gulped audibly.

 

"What is the first mark?" Buffy demanded again. "Tell me, now!"

 

Spike sighed, struggling to his feet and plopping down on the couch. He motioned for Buffy and Xander to do the same, trying to summon up the courage to tell them exactly what was going on.

 

"You see, there's this thing called a human servant . . ."

 

*****

 

Willow wanted to run so badly. She wanted to plow headfirst for the door, regardless of the fact she knew he could stop her before she even made it halfway across the room. She wanted to try.

 

But the rational part of her brain told her to conserve her energy. 

To wait on him, to see if he would give her an opening. Of all the times not to be a practicing witch anymore!

 

"Did you sleep well?"

 

She wanted to laugh at the way he was exchanging pleasantries. If she didn't know any better, she swear she was his guest instead of his captive. But she did know better, a lot better.

 

"You kidnapped me," she managed to choke out. "You did something to me. I don't know what, but I can feel it."

 

"It was the first mark," he replied. She turned to look his way, surprised to find him sulking in the darkest corner of the room. His hair was still pushed over one side of his, like it had been when she saw him outside the Magic Shop. She wondered what he was hiding, and whether or not she really wanted to know.

 

"What's the first mark?" she asked in return. He laughed, a sound that caused shivers to run down her back. The redhead gulped, desperately looking for an escape or a weapon. Either would do, this guy was far too powerful for her liking.

 

"There is no way out of here ma cherie," he told her, as if reading her thoughts. "There is only this door here. You could try to reach it, but you know I would stop you before you even neared it."

 

A sob escaped her, a sound she tried to stifle in her throat. Tears were burning in her eyes as she tried to hide herself behind the dresser.

 

"Why are you doing this to me?" she whispered tearfully. She heard a sigh and then seconds later, he was standing before her. A shocked gasp erupted from her lips and the redhead tried to get far away, but he pinned her in. Willow pushed back against the wall, not wanting to look at him.

 

"You are friends with a creature known as William the Bloody, no?"

 

Willow frowned and nodded. What did Spike have to do with this?

 

"And you are near and dear to one Angelus, the Scourge of Europe?"

 

Well, Angel wasn't the Scourge of Europe and there was a fine line between Angel and Angelus, but she figured he wouldn't care that much. So she nodded again, unsure of where he was going with this.

 

"It is because of their attachment to you that you find yourself in this position," he informed her. "I have needs to settle things with them, and I think you will do nicely."

 

"I won't let you turn me," she told him, mustering up a bit of courage. He laughed again, a cold finger going to trace the outline of her cheek.

 

"I will not turn you," he assured her. "No, that I would not do. But making you my human servent, that will happen."

 

"Human servant?" she repeated, mind racing to remember anything about that. She came up blank.

 

"The first mark, which I have given you, is the first step," he explained, leaning in entirely too close to her. He was handsome to say the least, but also very scary. A big gorgeous scary vamp who from what she could tell, wanted her to be his maid or something.

 

"I will give you three more," he informed her, fingering a lock of red hair this time. "And with the final mark, you will be bond to me for the rest of your life. I will draw power from you and you likewise from me. You will live much longer than a normal human, and enjoy certain powers that mortals have. You will be in essence, an extension of myself. Completely submissive to me, my human servant."

 

She didn't like the sound of this, not at all. A few tears spilled from her watery eyes, trailing down her cheeks as her breath came in ragged gasps. He clucked his tongue in sympathy, wiping a tear from her cheek. She wanted to back away from him, not to allow his touch at all.

 

She nearly screamed in shock when she felt his lips against her skin. Now he was kissing up her tears, one hand on her throat to hold her still. His thumb was tracing over her pulse point slowly, his other fingers lightly massaging her neck. Willow held herself perfectly still, trying to stop her tears so that he would stop his administrations.

 

"Do not fret," he whispered to her. "You will not be treated poorly. I have no desire to terrorize your every waking step. But you will not be released from this bond ma cherie. Vengeance is stopped for no one."

 

More tears escaped her, despite her attempts to stop them. He continued to try and kiss them away, acting as if he liked the taste of her salty tears. His other hand drifted lower, skimming over the exposed part of her leg. Panic ceased her as he began to lift the hem of the shirt up. She couldn't handle this!

 

"I am not a raper of women," he growled in her ear. "If and when you come to my bed, it will be willingly. But for now, we have other business to attend to."

 

And then he was lifting her, carrying her back to the bed. The redhead gasped when she was laid down, a motion that took mere seconds. He was towering over her, looking deep into her green eyes. She wanted to look away but found she could not.

 

His eyes were a blaze with something, and she recognized the sensations taking over her. He was giving her another mark. If only she could fight the draw of his eyes, fight the fire she felt rising up around her, to fight him in some capacity. But she was lost to the whirl of sensations around her.

 

She was sobbing quite openly now, hating the fact she could hear him murmuring in her ear. He was saying nice things, comforting things, but she hated him for it. The fire was all around her, causing her to cry out in imagined pain. Instinctively, she clung to him, burying her face in his long blonde hair. His arms were around her, body pulled flush on top of hers. She felt something stirring in her stomach, a desire she wanted to quench. But her body paid her mind no heed, and she was reaching out for him.

 

His hands met hers, guiding them over his skin. He freed one hand, tracing light patterns over the exposed parts of her legs. The fire and weight of everything was clouding over her mind, causing her to moan in anticipation when she felt his fingers near her panties.

 

She wasn't aware of when it happened, but sometime in between the fire and feel of him, a finger was slipped into her passage. The redhead groaned, feeling pleasure fighting with the heat for dominance of her thoughts. But neither won out, both washing over her as he worked her to her climax.

 

She felt herself go over the edge suddenly, exploding on the inside. And she was came down from her high, the fire began to dissipate as well. Her mind was too foggy for her to comprehend much, her eyelids too heavy to keep open. She felt him move, felt the slight caress of his lips against her cheek and then her ear.

 

"Sleep," he whispered to her. "There will be much to deal with in the morning."

 

And though the thought frightened her, the redhead found herself listening to him. She drifted off into sleep, dreams of blood and sex heavy on her mind.


	4. Chapter 4  Protocol And Friendly Furballs

Angel was having a bad day.

 

Scratch that, he was having a very bad week. Too many things had happened to him already and many other things to people who had the misfortune of knowing him. He thought the look on Cordelia's face when she found out about Darla had been bad, but it was nothing compared to now . . .

 

"This vamp took Willow because of you!"

 

The screaming had hurt him, more so than he ever thought. Not so much that it was Cordelia, but because he knew her words to be true. Funny how grief interrupted rational trains of thought. They all knew there was a fine difference between him and Angelus, but when stuff like this happened, they were both to blame.

 

And he really was to blame for it this time.

 

Willow had been taken. By Asher, one of the two vampires in all of existence that really really hated him. Spike disliked him for all the tricks he had played on him and Druscilla, Darla and the Master had been disgusted with him after he gained his soul, but Asher and Jean-Claude were the only two vampires in all existence who really hated him.

 

And he didn't blame them one bit. He remembered, in full detail, the things he and Spike had done to their friends, could close his eyes and smell the blood if he really wanted to. It had been one of Angelus's worst acts of violence. The fact it was against other vampires didn't make it any less heinous.

 

But now, a hundred years later, he wasn't even the one paying for it. No, Willow, sweet little Willow, was the one who was paying for his sins. Taken out of Sunnydale because she happened to befriend him and Spike in her short lifespan. Forced into being a human servant because he and Spike held her dear to their undead hearts. Her life was ruined because they cared for her.

 

And that was exactly the way Asher had wanted it.

 

Angel knew that vengeance on Asher's part was well-deserved, and he would have taken any punishment the other vampire saw fit. But against himself, not against innocent people, not against Willow.

 

The sheer anger he felt at it was crippling. He couldn't be near Connor anymore, the tension and anger rolling off his body was disconcerting for the young baby. Only Fred and Lorne were able to calm the agitated infant. Cordelia herself was too wound up, too concerned for Willow to do much of anything for the child. Wesley was in the same boat while Gunn, though not really knowing Willow, was ready to go to war for the redhead.

 

And that seemed like a good idea. Go to war for the redhead. In the long run, that might be what it takes to get Willow back from Asher. But the problem lay not in getting her back, but in what Asher had done to Willow in the meantime.

 

He gave her the first mark. She might have the second and third by now. He was going to make Willow his human servant, against her will.

 

Angel had punched a hole in his office wall when he got the news. It had been a good release, for the moment. But it didn't solve anything at all. They didn't know where Willow was and how many marks she had been given. But if Angel knew Asher, the vampire was rushing this along as quickly as possible. They might not be able to sever the link between the vampire and Willow by the time they found her, short of killing Asher. But then, they ran the possibility of killing Willow, something was completely not an option.

 

So they had to find Asher and they had to get Willow back. If it was even an option at that point. Hurting Asher was also on the menu, if they could do it without hurting Willow as well. Stupid bastard had planned this well enough. No retaliation could be sought against the Master vampire without running the risk of Willow feeling it as well. Very very clever Asher had been in thinking up his vengeance.

 

"What are we going to do?"

 

Oh, Cordelia was talking to him now. But too bad he didn't have an answer for her.

 

"We have to find Asher," he replied listlessly. "And if I know Asher, he's with Jean-Claude."

 

"Where's Jean-Claude?" Cordelia prompted.

 

"St. Louis," was the answer.

 

"Then we're going to St. Louis," Cordelia stated, turning to walk out of the office. "I'll phone Sunnydale and let them-"

 

"Cordy."

 

The single word stopped her in her tracks. She turned around hesitantly, eyeing him with caution.

 

"What?" she demanded.

 

"You can't go to St. Louis," he told her. "We can't go without permission. This isn't the 1800s anymore. Powerful vamps are not allowed to wander in and out of territories as they see fit. There's protocol."

 

"Protocol?" Cordelia repeated, tone icy. "Willow's been kidnapped and you're talking about protocol?"

 

"If we venture into Jean-Claude's territory without his permission, we can be killed!" Angel roared. "The Council will uphold it in the end because Jean-Claude will not have been the one to step out of bounds."

 

"But they kidnapped Willow!" she protested.

 

"What does the Vampire Council care of one little human?" Angel asked her tiredly. "And if Asher has given her the marks, they won't do anything at all. Bonds between vampire and human servant are very strong Cordelia. Anything that is done to Asher would be like doing it to Willow as well."

 

"But if this Jean-Claude person is as angry as you say, then he won't let you into St. Louis!" Cordelia threw back at him. "Then what do we do?"

 

"We negotiate," Angel replied. "We will send someone he can't deny sending into the city. Hell, we'll send Xander in a pink tutu if that's what it takes. But until we get permission, none of us can step foot in St. Louis without having a death warrant issued for us."

 

Cordelia let out a frustrated growl, giving his office wall a good swift kick.

 

"I hate this."

 

Angel only sighed, shaking his head as he reached for the phone.

 

"Then imagine how Willow must feel."

 

*****

 

Her eyes opened and she stared up at a dark painted ceiling. She frowned, disoriented for a moment, and then she remembered everything.

 

The redhead shot up in bed, casting a frantic look around her. There was no sign of HIM in the room. Funny, he was bonding her to him for all eternity, and he had never given her his name.

 

After a minute, she was certain that he wasn't in the room. Sighing in a bit of relief, the redhead tucked her legs underneath her, picking at the covers as she thought over her current situation.

 

Tears came to her eyes as she remembered what had happened, and the redhead fell over in tears. She grabbed at her pillow, drawing it closer to her body as the sobs came rushing out. It hurt her throat to cry so much, but she couldn't stop herself. Every single last ounce of fear and grief she had felt since HE took her came flooding out.

 

She wanted to die.

 

She remembered last night, remembered the heat and remembered the way she had practically begged for him. He had responded in kind, not actually entering her but taking her to orgasm rather adeptly. Now, she shuddered, thinking back on it. She wanted to throw up. She can't believe she had let him touch her like that. Not only let him, but practically cry for it. So what if he was devilishly handsome, he was a jerk. A big mean undead jerk who had apparently just fucked up her life royally.

 

She wanted to crawl into a hole and just die. 

 

This was too much, the prospect of what was coming was too large. She cursed herself inwardly for not doing enough research on this type of vampire, of not paying much attention to them. The law regulated the souled vampires, the Slayer had no need to worry about them. But still, you think she would have looked something up on this, found out about human servants before running into HIM. Then maybe she would have refused his offer.

 

Or maybe not. He had planned it well enough. He had Anya and Xander at his mercy, making her choose between her friends and herself. He must have figured out that she would have done anything for her friends and used that against her.

 

And that's what made her so angry. HE had planned all of this, obviously watched them and made the decision on what course of action to take. He studied her just to use it against her, so he could take her away from Spike and Angel and make the two of them miserable. And guilty.

 

She hated him.

 

She absolutely, positively hated him. If she could hurt him, she would. If she could use magic to hurt him she would. But he had told her enough of being a human servant for her to suspect that anything that happened to him, would happen to her as well. Besides, not like she would use magic anyway. The power of the Dark Arts was too much temptation for her. Willow wasn't about to get out one of dangerous situation to land herself into one of her making. No, she didn't dare turn to magic to help her out of this one. She wondered if HE had known that. He probably did.

 

Bastard.

 

Her tears were stopping finally. Her eyes were sore and she just knew they were all puffy and red. Her nose was all stuffed up and she didn't see tissues anywhere in this room. Hell, there wasn't even a bathroom for her to go to wash up. It was just a room, with the dresser, the bed, and the vanity. There was nothing else, nowhere else for her to go.

 

Knocking on the door startled her out of her thoughts. The redhead jolted, looking fearfully towards the door. The knob started to turn and she scrambled into the farthest corner of the room. 

 

Thinking HE was back, the redhead curled up into a ball and just will him to go away.

 

But it wasn't him, it was someone else.

 

"Hello?"

 

The soft voice surprised her. She raised her eyes to see a kind of short man with blonde hair venturing into the room. There was an aura about him, something that was oddly familiar to her, but she couldn't quite place it. His blue eyes held nothing but sympathy as he approached her cautiously.

 

"Asher said to come get you in the morning," he explained. She frowned and then realized. Asher was HIM.

 

"What does he want?" she asked, voice breaking. The man sighed, raking a hand through his hair.

 

"He just wanted to make sure you got a shower and some food," the man explained. "He's sleeping now, so you don't have to worry about him."

 

"What about you?" she asked in a whisper. He gave her a small smile, one tinged with pity.

 

"I'm not going to hurt you," he told her. "I swear it. I just follow orders, I don't have to like them, but I follow them."

 

She shook her head, wrapping her arms around her legs and resting her chin on her knees.

 

"I'm not hungry," she pouted.

 

"You haven't eaten since you were brought here," he reminded her. "You may not be hungry, but you have to eat. You'll be weak otherwise."

 

"What does it matter?" she asked in a tearful voice. "What does any of it matter?"

 

He sighed, walking over to settle down in front of her.

 

"I can't say I don't feel for you," he whispered to her. "I think this sucks the big one. You shouldn't be involved in this, but you are. And unfortunately for you, it's a permanent thing, now that you have the marks."

 

She shuddered at the mention of those. He laid a comforting hand on her arm.

 

"But you don't have to miserable here," he tried to convey to her. "You can still get out, do things, meet people. I know that this isn't what you wanted, that your life was basically ripped away, but you don't have to stay in here, miserable forever. Do you want to spend the rest of your life in this room? With only Asher in to see you?"

 

His name did it. Imagining a lifetime of only him did it for her. She shook her head furiously, chin trembling at the thought.

 

"Good," he nodded, getting to his feet. He extended a hand to her.

 

"I know this bites, but I want you to know. I'm going to look out for you, a lot of the other people here are going to. You're not going to alone."

 

She managed a bit of a smile, excepting his hand.

 

"I'm Willow," she managed to whisper. He smiled at her in a reassuringly way.

 

"I'm Jason," he replied, tugging her to the door. "How about we get you some food and a change of clothes?"

 

She nodded, following him out.

 

"That would be nice."


	5. Chapter 5  Dissension In The Ranks

Ten paces to the right. Turn around, ten paces to the left. 

 

Stopping now, tapping her foot. Looking up at the staircase, gazing off into nowhere. Eyes sliding to the left, glaring a hole into the vampire sitting on the couch. Turning again, pacing back those ten paces to the right. Stopping by the fireplace, head turning towards the kitchen, glaring at the other vampire now.

 

Dawn sighed, sitting back as she watched Buffy pace. Pace and glare, that's all the blonde did. The younger Summers wondered how long it would be until Buffy just got fed up and hurt Spike or Angel, though Angel seemed to be the most likely target for her anger now. Not only was he partly responsible for Willow being gone, he had showed up here with a baby. His baby, begotten by Darla. A miracle in itself, and the one thing Buffy had been sure that she would never be able to share with her old love.

 

Good thing Connor was so cute, Buffy couldn't keep an angry glare the child's way. But the father, that was another story. Dawn wondered if Buffy would stake Angel before the night was out. She was certainly leaning towards that, fingers clenching and eyes shooting death in his direction. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea for Angel to come down from LA to help with the Willow situation.

 

Of course, Dawn didn't understand why they couldn't just go in, guns blazing, and rescue their redheaded friend. It's what they always do, and it's a damn effective way of getting things done.

 

But Angel was mumbling about protocol and it not being the 1800s anymore. Dawn snorted. Like she actually believed that vampires, souled or not, gave a rat's ass about laws and protocol. Because this vamp in particular didn't. Hello, kidnapping is a crime and so against human protocol.

 

But maybe that was the problem. This wasn't human protocol. This was all vampy laws and customs. In human law, you broke the rules you go to jail whereas in vampire law, when you broke the rules, the vamp in charge breaks your neck.

 

Lovely little system they had set up.

 

Finally, the teenager got tired of watching Buffy pace and stew. She got to her feet, making her way to the relatively less tense kitchen, the place where the vamps and the Slayer were not.

 

Dawn pushed open the door, managing a small smile for the people inside. Wesley returned her smile, giving her shoulder a small squeeze in reassurance. She was grateful, she was. Wesley wasn't nearly as much of a prick as he had been during Buffy's senior year. No, he seemed a hell of a lot cooler. And less wimpy.

 

"Do you want to eat something? I could whip something up if you're hungry."

 

That was Fred, the girl Angel brought home from another dimension. The brunette was a definite sweetheart, totally going out of her way to help everyone in the house. She made a lot of food since she got here, fussing back and forth between the living room and kitchen, just trying to make sure that no one was making themselves sick from worry. Even Spike, she had ventured near him with many a cups of hot chocolate and blood. Fred was a darling, she really was.

 

"No thanks," Dawn replied, a strained smile offered to the girl. "I'm not hungry."

 

Fred nodded, stepping aside. Another cool thing about that girl, she knew when not to push. Dawn really liked her.

 

Xander sat rather dejectedly at the kitchen table, Anya on his lap and his head buried in her shoulder. Dawn winced at the sight of brunette, the angry bruises of the vamp's grip still very evident. Not for the first time since this happened did Dawn feel a homicidal rage swim up in her gut. If she ever found out where that vampire slept during the day . . .

 

But she couldn't. She wouldn't dare. Not with the possibility that Willow would die alongside him. There was this thing about the marks or whatever, bonding a vampire and human in really close ways. Like life and death ways. So while they were all rather angry, none were too quick to jump to the idea of immediate stakage.

 

They weren't going to run that risk with Willow's well-being.

 

Dawn settled herself down at the counter, next to the other member of Angel's group, Gunn. He just sat by the counter, polishing his axe for hours. Dawn could understand, it was a nice axe. And she figured it was one of those repetitive things people did to keep themselves sane in times of high stress.

 

Maybe she should break out some of the metal and start polishing alongside Gunn. If it worked for him, it might work for her. Of course, with a weapon in hand, Dawn would probably only be able to think about hurting the vamp that took Willow. So maybe it wouldn't get her mind off things.

 

There was another option, one that was upstairs with Cordelia and Lorne, the karaoke demon. Connor, the baby, the very cute baby. She could go up there and just play with him for hours on end.

 

That actually sounded like a plan. Dawn stood up, shrugging off Fred's concern at her rather abrupt departure. She raced past the living room, not wanting to see Buffy pace and glare anymore. Dawn ran up those steps, following the sounds of Cordelia's voice to Willow's room.

 

Maybe playing with the cute baby wouldn't make her want to break everything in sight.

 

Maybe, but not likely.

 

*****

 

He was waiting for him when he arose.

 

Asher was mildy irritated, wanting to go first to check on his new human servant before anything else. He had given Jason permission to take her out today, to buy her clothes and other things she would like. Might as well get the girl settled. She would be here for a while.

 

But no. The second he arose, there was a wolf waiting to lead him to Jean-Claude's chambers. He gave an unnecessary sigh and followed. 

He knew that eventually Jean-Claude would call on him, when he realized the exact thing he had done, but Asher thought he could have waited until he checked on his redhead.

 

But apparently Jean-Claude could not.

 

"Yes?"

 

It was a bit colder than necessary, for he didn't believe Jean-Claude would be truly upset in the least. The Master of the City would have done it himself if Anita hadn't been in the picture.

 

"You could have warned me, mon ami."

 

Another sigh as he wandered further into the room. Asher sat himself down on one of Jean-Claude's couches, turning to face his friend.

 

"What good would it have done?" he asked quietly. "I wouldn't have stopped."

 

"I would not have tried to stop you," Jean-Claude returned easily. "But a warning would have been nice. As it is, I've received numerous calls from the Council on the matter of a 

visitation request. From Angelus. He wishes to bring his Slayer into my city to retrieve your redhead."

 

A smirk took over his lips.

 

"Was Angelus very worried?" he murmured. There was a flash of fang on Jean-Claude's part, the Master of the City shooting his own smirk Asher's way.

 

"He was," he replied happily. "Very worried, very frantic, and very angry. You planned this well."

 

Asher merely nodded and the two of them fell into a bit of companionable silence.

 

"What will you say?" Asher finally asked. Jean-Claude sighed, bringing the tips of his fingers together as he thought.

 

"I have no choice to allow some of them here, to see her," he finally answered. "The Slayer would not take refusal lightly. If she did not get her Watchers' Council to intercede on her behalf, she would just come here, swinging wildly."

 

"You have fear of this Slayer?" It was a taunt, but an honest question.

 

"They say she is not like the rest," Jean-Claude replied with an elegant shrug of his shoulders. "She has lived longer than any of them, this I know. I know not whether I fear her, but I do believe she is a force to be reckoned with. Much like our Anita."

 

Asher nodded silently again. Once more a silence fell over the two, this time broken by Jean-Claude.

 

"When Anita hears of this . . ."

 

"She is your servant," Asher replied briskly. "Contain her."

 

"You know that is not possible," Jean-Claude retorted, tone disapproving. "She will not strike against you mon ami. But your relationship would be very strained. She will not approve of this, no matter how much I do."

 

"She understands revenge," Asher countered. "She practices it herself almost all the time."

 

"But you know her," Jean-Claude sighed. "For Anita, there is always a good reason for her to do it. But for others, not always so."

 

"Then our relationship will be strained," Asher shrugged. "It cannot be undone now. The redhead bears two of my marks."

 

"Already?" Jean-Claude murmured. "Well, you have been working fast."

 

Another smirk came over his features.

 

"When they come, it will be beyond their ability to repair," Asher stated softly. "She will belong to me, and never again to them."

 

"Quite the revenge," Jean-Claude assented. "But what of this girl? Was it worth it, disrupting her life so?"

 

His gaze hardened, eyes looking coldly at the wall in front of him.

 

"Yes."

 

Jean-Claude only nodded and then rose to his feet.

 

"Then we should go attend to your redhead now," the Master of the City concluded. "Come Asher, let's see how the petite fares."

 

Asher rose to his feet silently, following his friend to the door. In his mind eye, he saw nothing but row on row of mangled limbs, scarred faces that he had once known and loved. And he knew, right down in the bottom of his being.

 

No matter what this was doing to the redhead, it really was worth it.


	6. Chapter 6  The Grey Area

They had called Giles.

 

Finally! Christ, he had been telling them to do that since he woke up to find Willow gone. But did anyone listen to Xander? Well, yeah, but only after a while.

 

Anyway, the G-Man was coming, and he was going to play the politics game with the Vampire Council. Which was good because neither Spike, Angel, nor Buffy were getting anywhere on that front. Angel would lose his patience after a good hour of butt-kissing and demand to be let into St. Louis or he'd be visiting the Council with his favourite chainsaw. Buffy just got on the phone and started spouting threats right away. Most of the Council was probably having nightmares over the things she promised to do to them. Xander knew he was, some of it was very graphic.

 

And Spike, he was being as anti-helpful as usual. He just got on the phone with his usual bad attitude, calling the Council names and the such until they hang up on him.

 

It would have been amusing to say the least. You know, if his best friend hadn't been kidnapped.But Giles was on the way on, striving to help with the diplomacy that the so-called leaders of the group lacked. And the G-Man had more sway because he was with the Watchers' Council. Apparently the two councils had this mutual respect/fear thing going on. Something he was glad for.

 

Giles was on his way here, with a band of Watchers. Apparently this whole situation was a lot more grave than they had thought. The question of separating a human servant from a vampire was big on everyone's mind. Everyone was researching like there was no tomorrow. Trying to find the exact point, the exact number of marks it takes for the bond to be inseparable. Meaning, depending on how many marks Willow had at the moment, there was a chance they could kill this Asher without consequence to her. It had been done before apparently, but the human servant rarely makes it out alive after the third or fourth mark.

 

But if Xander knew evil guys, and he did, this guy Asher would have Willow on the fourth mark as soon as possible. At the very least, his friend would have the third mark by the time they had cut through all this diplomacy bullshit. And the third mark was very grey territory. No one here was even going to attempt anything on Asher if the third mark had been given. It was just too much of a risk.

 

He should blame Angel and Spike. He really should, Hell he really wanted to. But for some reason beyond him, Xander couldn't bring himself to rail against the vamps. Both were completely devastated, and completely lost. Besides, the two of them already blamed themselves enough without Xander adding to the mix. And Buffy was keeping them on a high level of guilt and remorse with her constant snapping and glaring. Did he mention the pacing was starting to drive him insane? Honestly, he just wished Buffy would go out and kill something already. The tension was so thick in the air, it was like he was going to suffocate on it.

 

He couldn't wrap his head around what had happened. Weren't they the Scooby Gang? Didn't they stop an Ascension, a Robo-Demon, and a Hell God? Hadn't they done all that? Why hadn't they seen this one vampire coming? How could it be that after all they had faced together, it took one vampire on one odd night, to cut their group into pieces?

 

He supposed Asher had a reason to be angry, but then again, he was a vampire. Things like this happened among vampires, it was what they did. But of course, holding on to things is something else vampires did really well. Imagine, holding a grudge for a 100 years and then taking it out on some unsuspecting bystander. Just to get at your enemies some more. This Asher guy was sadistic.

 

Reminded him a bit of Angelus if you really wanted to know.

 

It was too tense in this house. He needed to get out, to go somewhere. Somewhere like St. Louis? Just head there, with a rocket launcher just like back in junior year, and go in, guns blazing, save his friend and be back in time for Sunday breakfast. That was a plan Xander was all for.

 

But again, diplomacy and politics. He was sick of diplomacy and politics. Why couldn't things elsewhere be like they were on the Hellmouth. Someone makes an attack on them, they get to return it without anyone else batting an eyelash. That was the way things should be.

 

But they weren't. In their preoccupation with the Hellmouth, the Scoobies had neglected to amass any information on the outside world. It was a lot different than they had ever thought possible, the complete opposite of the Hellmouth. Court orders were needed to kill the bad guy in the outside world where here, if you knew he was bad, Buffy got to slay without regulation.

 

Xander liked the Hellmouth system better. Imagine, having to go to the court every time a vampire munched on a human in Sunnydale. Buffy would never leave the court long enough to do her sacred duty. The outside world was warped.

 

He had to do something, to get all this out of his system. He couldn't just sit around and wait until someone told him he had the legal right to go save his best friend. It was ludicrous!

 

Xander sighed, running a hand through his rather toussled dark hair. Getting up from the kitchen table, he went off in search of Angel's friend Gunn. Maybe the man would like to accompany him on a patrol, he seemed to live on that kind of action. It would take their minds off the whole situation at hand.

 

Hopefully.

 

*****

 

The day had been a bit less nerve-wracking than she thought it would be. Of course, she never once forgot about her situation, and the lovely two marks she bore now, but she didn't fall into hysterics. At least, not all the time.

 

Jason, who was a werewolf apparently, took her to the mall. She was able to get a small amount of clothes of her own choosing, something she would wear during her own time. She had been curious to know what she would be wearing the other times of the day. He hadn't answered, but had taken her to several tailors to get measured. She wasn't so sure she wanted to leave her wardrobe in the hands of HIM, but apparently she had no real choice.

 

Yeah, she was aware that his name was Asher, but in her mind, he was still just HIM. It was something she couldn't quite shake, a fear inside her stomach that she couldn't get rid of. The mere thought of seeing HIM again nearly brought her to her knees.

 

Jason knew this, and spent much of the day distracting her. She wondered where he had gotten all the money to pay for everything they bought that day, realizing HE must have been wealthy. Jason had bought her many things, books, movies, clothes, a laptop, and other little tidbits that she had wanted. He took her for ice cream, mindful to keep an eye on her at all times. She knew he felt bad for her, but she also knew she could find no help in him. Jason had to do as he was told, or the consequences would be horrible. And Willow really didn't want him to have suffer any sort of consequence, she had a feeling it would be bad.

 

Very very bad.

 

But even though the day out distracted her a bit, when the sun started to sink below the horizon, she started feeling that old fear once more. Her legs started shaking and then gave out from underneath her all together. Jason had been alarmed, scooping her up and taking her back to the Circus immediately. Did you HE lived in a Circus? The Circus of the Damned apparently, a show of monsters and other magical beings. Jason lived there too, as the pet of the Master of the City, who was good friends with HIM. Willow supposed she would be living there too, by sheer default. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about that. She supposed it would be worse to live somewhere with only HIM, instead of all these other people.

 

By the time they got back to the Circus, the sun had set. She knew without having to be told that the vampires would be rising at this moment, and that HE would come to see her. Possibly to give her the third mark, possibly just to check that she hadn't run away. Whatever the reason, she would see HIM tonight.

 

Jason rushed her up to the room rather quickly, the same one as before. She was seriously starting to hate this room. It felt like nothing more than a prison cell, which she supposed it was, in a sense. This was her prison now, no way out for this redhead.

 

Jason decided to wait with her, for them to show up. She had been grateful, trying to keep herself busy with idle chat as they both put her new purchases away. But not even half an hour into it, there was a knock on the door. 

 

Her heart stopped, eyes going wide as she watched the door slowly opened. HE walked in, followed closely by another vampire. The other had long curly dark hair and eyes as enchantingly blue as HIS were, though of a different shade. She saw Jason shake in his presence, saw him eyes go to the floor in a subserviant manner. And she knew, this was the Master of the City.

 

"Jason."

 

The voice was like silk, cascading all over her. She shivered, more out of fear than anything else. Jason had come to attention, awaiting the words of his master.

 

"Please leave us."

 

It was a command, an order that she knew he had to follow. But she didn't want him to go, she didn't want him to leave her alone with THEM. Willow regarded Jason with wide green eyes, fear increasing when she saw his apologetic face. He shook his head, squeezing her hand briefly before rising to go. She wondered if it would be incredibly childish of her to not let his hand go. To pull him back down and scramble into his lap for protection.

 

Probably, but she felt like doing it anyway.

 

But in the end, she let her hand drop out of his, watching forlornly as her only source of comfort so far left her alone with the vampires.

 

"How are you feeling?"

 

She didn't look at him, scampering onto her bed and turning her face the other way. She felt the bed dip as they joined her, one on either side. She stared straight forward then, heart pounding furiously in her chest.

 

"Ma cherie?"

 

She hated that term, one that should have been of endearment, but that she felt was patronizing. Her gaze hardened and refused to look at either of them.

 

A hand on her cheek jolted her out of her thoughts. The cold fingers traced their way across, tangling themselves in her hair for a brief moment before traveling down her neck, to her shoulders, and finally down her back. The hand came to rest at the base of her spine. She dared not move, not breathe, lest something set them off.

 

"You are very beautiful."

 

That made her angry. She jerked away, discovering it was the Master of the City who had been touching her. She leapt off the bed, going to stand in corner beside the dresser. Her fists were clenched at her sides and she tried vainly to grab a hold of her emotions.

 

Their only response was laughter, well at least the Master of the City's response was of laughter. HE had yet to say anything, watching her with his cold blue eyes she moved away from him. Well, what did he expect? For her to throw herself in his arms, declare absolute submission to him? If he did, was he ever in for a surprise. She may be doomed here, but she sure as Hell wasn't going to make this easy for any of them.

 

"I can see why they befriended her," the Master of the City spoke. "She has this certain air about her. I wonder how they kept themselves from tasting her."

 

Her fingernails were digging into her palms, causing blood to leak out. Probably not the best thing at the moment, considering how they could probably smell it, but it was she could do to keep herself in check.

 

HE was over to her in a flash, grabbing at her hand. She gave an eep, fear overcoming any sort of anger on her part. She was brought back to the bed, her hand wrenched open for them to look at the blood.

 

The feel of a tongue on her palm caused her to start in surprise. Her hand was held more firmly as the Master of the City 'tasted' her. HE was watching the Master closely, paying her no mind. The redhead felt angry once again, and did something she probably shouldn't have done.

 

She decked the Master of the City.

 

It hurt her more than it hurt him, no doubt. In fact, he seemed barely injured at all, just surprised. Her hand was going red already, but she didn't care. Nothing could match the extreme pleasure she had gotten from doing that.

 

Until she was yanked up further on the bed, thrown down on her back. Then the fear came back, as HE hovered over her. The Master of the City's laughter reached her ears once more, and she felt his hand come back to caress her cheek.

 

"You will be a fine addition to my home," he whispered to her. "But make no mistake ma cherie. You do that again, and there will be consequences."

 

She gulped audibly, squeezing her eyes shut so she would no longer have to look at them. But she still heard them conversing, heart beating faster and faster as she heard them.

 

"I will have to allow some in, by tonight," the Master was saying. "She only has the second mark so far. They will be here almost immediately after I give permission. You must give her the third before that."

 

She didn't like the sound of that.

 

"I know," HE replied, tone as cool as ever. A hand came to brush her neck and still she didn't open her eyes. Lips pressed against her ear, words she didn't want to hear coming to her.

 

"Do not struggle," HE warned her. "It can be very pleasurable if you do not struggle."

 

She didn't need to know what 'it' was, she could guess. His fingers were skimming over her pulse point, his face nuzzling the side of her neck. She clenched at the bedsheets, not really hearing the soothing remarks being made by the Master of the City as he stroked her hair. The anticipation of it was horrible, fear overtaking her senses until she felt numb all over.

 

And then she felt HIM sink into her neck.

 

Willow screamed.


	7. Chapter 7  Enter The Watchers

It was wrong to like it.

 

She knew that, on some inner level. It was wrong to like what was happening to her. It was wrong on the most basic of moral levels. None of this had been her choice. She hadn't asked or deserved any of this. HE was evil, nothing more, nothing less. She shouldn't have enjoyed it.

 

But she did.

 

HE probably knew that, and took some sort of pleasure in it. She wouldn't put it above the bastard. She hated him, hated these feelings he was able to create in her, this desire . . .

 

Was there anyway for her to describe how it felt? She knew she couldn't convey it to anyone. It was like sex, but not. A very precarious balance between pain and pleasure, one that is so hard to obtained with sex. It was definitely orgasmic on some level, giving her one hell of a climax.

 

Sensual, not doubt, but not quite sex. Something more than just sex, something more than just the climax. She felt like she was floating, pleasure assailing her senses on either side. It wasn't sex, but it was a bad good substitute. Hell, it was a like a fix of something, a drug shot right to the system. It made her go all warm and fuzzy.

 

But it was so much more than just that. It was fire and ice, bliss and pain, all at once. Attacking all her senses, blotting out her conscious to everything but the sensation of the bite.

 

She hated that she enjoyed it. Hated that HE could make her feel this way. To make her so wanton, crying out for him to just touch her or something. Anything to make the ache between her legs go away. And of course he did, fingers bringing her to the edge just like they had done the night before. It shamed her that it could feel so good while being so wrong. She hated herself for enjoying it.

 

And when she felt empty at his withdrawal, she hated herself so much more.

 

Awareness slowly flooded back to her. There was a soreness in her neck, her throat dry from her screams, and her hands aching from clenching the sheets so hard. She had been sweating, like anyone would have been after a good hard tumble between the sheets. But she hadn't had that just yet, more like a placebo for the real thing.

 

She was spent, there was no other word for it. Her eyelids felt heavy, her breathing coming out more and more even. There was this dizzy feeling in her head, one she didn't like at all. She weak, but strong at the same time. It was an odd thing, she didn't want to 

dwell on it.

 

They were talking above her, soft voices murmuring. They were talking about her. It enraged her that she couldn't hear what they were saying. She felt indignant, that HE could just do this to her and then be talking calmly to his bud. HE was just so, so-

 

"Sleep."

 

The command was whispered in her ear. She wanted to fight, to yell and cry among other things. But there was no point. So she could only nod off to sleep, thoughts stormy and confused. But even as she drifted in between waking and sleep, Willow knew one thing.

 

She shouldn't have liked it.

 

*****

 

"What do you mean I can't go?"

 

Giles flinched, wondering if Buffy was in the right frame of mind to hear this. He looked for support from the others in the living room, but found none. All of them, his watchers, the scoobies, and Angel's team just looked back at him, leaving him to deal with Buffy all on his own.

 

He sighed and wished that Buffy could just be a bit calmer. But then again, as time went on, the Slayer only got more tense. So there was no point in keeping it from her. And he had just told her.

 

Buffy was not given permission to go to St. Louis.

 

"The Master of the City doubts that he and his would be safe if you were allowed to come," Giles managed to stammer out, backing a bit away from the irate blonde. "He seems to think that you would act first, and violently, and then think later."

 

"Nuh-uh," Buffy protested sharply. "I've been thinking about the violence for a long time now. So I'd be thinking of it first and then acting."

 

"Buffy, you have to understand that there are rules-"

 

"I don't give a rat's ass about the rules!" the blonde exploded. "He took Willow Giles! Just swooped down and took her. And I'm not going to be able to stop until I kill that bastard!"

 

"And run the risk of killing Willow herself?"

 

That softly spoken question brought everyone back down to earth. Buffy shot an angry pout Wesley's way. The former Watcher just looked back at his ex-charge, leaning up against the doorway with his arms folded across his chest. The blonde Slayer wilted under his even gaze, sullen gaze going to her feet.

 

"Sure," she muttered. "Be all logical and the like."

 

Giles sighed, watching remorsefully as Buffy flopped down on the couch in a huff.

 

"If we plan on getting Willow back, we have to play this by their rules," Giles muttered, rubbing his forehead tiredly. "And unfortunately, their rules call for no Slayer in their city."

 

"What about us?"

 

That was from Spike. Giles paused, wondering how to handle this. He doubt that the vampires would handle exclusion any better than Buffy. But still, they could not come. The Master of St. Louis had said no.

 

"Well . . ."

 

"We're not going either," Angel spoke up. The dark-haired vampire looked up, sending Giles a piercing glare.

 

"Are we?"

 

Giles only shook his head.

 

"The Master of the City said he could not ensure your safety while there," the Watcher explained. Spike let out a growl, throwing his chair across the room.

 

"Then bloody who can go?!" the vampire roared, demon face out front. Giles only sighed again, exchanging a look with Wesley.

 

"If you and Mister Gunn would be so kind . . ."

 

Gunn nodded, coming to stand by Wesley.

 

"We'll go," the man affirmed. Wesley nodded his agreement.

 

"Very well, then we-"

 

"I'm going too."

 

There was a brief silence as all eyes fell on Xander. The young man pushed himself back from the dining room table, ignoring the protest coming from Anya at his side, and coming to stand next to Giles.

 

"I'm going," he told the Watcher, no room for argument in his tone. Giles was speechless, eyes going from Xander to Buffy and then back to Xander again. The Slayer only shrugged, eyes intent on Xander as well. Seeing the resolve in Xander's face, he could only nod.

 

"Very well. Everyone pack."

 

*****

 

When she awoke next, she was surrounded by warmth.

 

Confused, Willow reached out tentatively with a hand, eyes still closed. Her hands moved slowly, skimming across something soft and hard at the same time.

 

Something that twitched when she touched it.

 

Her eyes flew open and she was bewildered by the sight before her. All over her bed, there were people. Maybe five in total, who were just piled on top of each other in various states of half-dressed. All were sleeping, snuggling up close to the redhead.

 

At first, she was alarmed to find so many strangers in her bed. But after a minute or two, her mind shut down and she soaked in the comfort she felt from their warm bodies. Warm bodies meaning not vampires, another thing she took comfort in.

 

There was a breath on her neck, causing her to turn her head to the side. Confused green eyes met sad blue ones, and she relaxed visibly at seeing someone she recognized. Jason only shot her a sympathetic smile, hand skimming over the tiny holes on her neck.

 

She shut her eyes, cursing the few tears that dared to leak out. She hated all of this. This constant state of fear and apprehension, not knowing what HE would throw down at her next. The comfort she took in Jason and these others' presence, knowing it was fleeting because HE would be back at sunset and they would have to leave her. And she especially hated her response to the idea of his return. Revulsion and desire, all at the same time. She wanted to see him, needed to see him on some odd level. It made her feel sick.

 

Jason was hushing her, cradling the little redhead up in his arms as she sobbed softly. She heard murmurs from the others, knowing they were awakened by the motion of Jason rocking her. She felt hands brush her hair and face, soft words of sympathy and comfort being given. And as grateful as she was, it wasn't enough for her.

 

Willow shut her eyes and willed it all away.


	8. Chapter 8  A Few Complications

"Just remember. Do as Giles says and everything will be all right."

 

Xander gave the barest of nods, trying hard to fight the smile threatening to break out over his features. He shuffled through his dresser, noting that Anya was right behind him, pacing a hole in their bedroom floor. His fiancee wasn't too happy about him going on the excursion to St. Louis, but had understood. As it was, she was just horribly worried about him.

 

"And do not look any of those vampires in the eye," the former demon continued to prattle on. "They'll roll your mind any chance they get. And once they do-BAM! Instant meal for them."

 

He had to bit his lip from to keep from laughing out loud at that point.

 

"I'll keep that in mind," was what he murmured instead. But Anya continued to pace, continued to fret as he packed.

 

"And don't let anyone in that Circus place scratch you in the slightest way. I hear there's a lot of werewolves and the like there, and we all know how contagious wolf lycanthropy is."

 

"I remember," he replied, busily shoving his essentials, toothbrush, comb, etc., into his duffel bag.

 

"And just don't do anything to offend anyone," Anya pressed him.

 

"Like what?" he murmured distractedly.

 

"Like open your mouth and let the insults run," she sighed, stomping over to look him in the eye. "Do not provoke these guys Xander. They're a lot more dangerous than any vampire we've fought here."

 

"I know," this time he couldn't stop himself from rolling his eyes. "Anya, I know. You don't have to worry. Normally I would agree with you but you forget, Wills in the on line here. I'm not going to do anything to get me kicked out of St. Louis without Willow coming along for the ride. I swear."

 

Anya deflated, shrugging her shoulders as she enveloped him into a hug.

 

"I just don't want you to get dead," she moaned pitifully. Xander sighed, returning the hug and placing a kiss on top of her head.

 

"That makes two of us," he assured her. "I'll be good. I'll listen to the G-Man, I promise."

 

She could only nod mutely, hand going up to trace the bruises still evident on her neck. His gaze hardened at that, his own hand joining hers as they skimmed over her flesh.

 

"I can't leave her there," he whispered to Anya in a low tone. "I can't leave her there, all by herself. I have to go."

 

"I know," Anya returned in the same kind of low whisper. There was a tearful tone to her voice, one she covered up quickly.

 

"Just go get Willow back," she ordered lightly. "You need your best man for the wedding."

 

He flashed her a bright smile, giving her one last hug before escorting her out into their living room. There, Gunn sat waiting for him, idly flipping through the channels on the television. He looked up at their entrance, getting to his feet.

 

"You ready man?"

 

Xander looked down at Anya, pressing a quick kiss to her lips. Then he turned back to Gunn, nodding his head.

 

"I'm ready."

 

*****

 

She didn't want for it to be true.

 

She prayed to God it wasn't true. But if there was one thing she had learned it was that when it comes to her and her boys, God seemed to turn a deaf ear to any pleas on her part. She would be angry, but she figured she deserved it. After all, they were the monsters.

 

But she never figured any of them to be this much of a monster.

 

It had been shocking to hear. She hadn't believed it at first, thinking there was no chance in Hell any of her vamps would dare do such a thing. They wouldn't dare do something they know she would have to fight them for. She didn't think any of them would be that stupid.

 

But it had happened. She hadn't found out until last night. She had been out of state, called in as an Executioner to kill a wayward vampire who had been killing off college students for some reason. The vampire was smart, leaving virtually no trail behind him. Hunting him had been a bitch, but she managed in the end. Of course it took a lot of help from the local Master of the City, cooperating with her thanks to a call from Jean-Claude himself, for her to get the job done.

 

And then she had heard it. Going to the Master's club, to offer her final thanks in helping with the case, she heard about it. Her first thought was that it was a lie, a horrible lie that someone was spreading. She wanted to break out her Browning, level it at the whispering vampires, and demand to know the truth.

 

But the Master of the City himself confirmed the rumours. He had this light in his eyes when he informed her of what had supposedly happened in St. Louis during her absence. It had taken a lot of willpower of her part not to kill the idiot vampire, instead just strolling out of there calmly. But inside, she had been anything but calm.

 

She booked the first flight back home, willing to risk her fear of flying just to get home as fast as she could. Any paperwork left was hasitly finished and dropped off at the local police station. Some of the officers had been startled by her rather sudden departure, but could do nothing about it. She was a determined woman, no one could stop her.

 

The flight home took less than an hour. She all but raced off the plane and into the car Nathaniel had waiting for her. He had pulled out of the airport parking lot without a word, not bothering to ask her what was wrong. It was like he knew, and that's what made her anxious. It was like all the rumours were true.

 

But they couldn't be true. The vampires she held near and dear to her hearts would not do something so cruel, so blatantly wrong. Or at least, she thought they could never do something like that. But Anita didn't know everything about them. They might have done worse in their past. So, there was the possibility.

 

In the end, she could only pray that someone had gotten the story wrong. Okay, sure, the girl might be there, but who's to say it went down like everyone was saying? It might be an innocent thing, well, as innocent as a thing can get with vampires involved. The point was, there was the chance that someone had just elaborated on the story, just to get a rise out of people.

 

She could hope, couldn't she?

 

The bad feeling in the pit of her stomach grew when Nathaniel pulled into the Circus parking lot. She hadn't told him to come here, but he had known. The look in his eyes told her that he knew. But she couldn't bring herself to ask him. She had to see for herself, she had to understand it.

 

It was very early morning at this time. She didn't need to use the marks to know that Jean-Claude and the other vampires would be in their coffins, blissfully unconscious until the sun set in the evening. For some reason, that made her feel a bit better.

 

She pushed her way into the Circus, pushing past various workers and shifters. One actually tried to stop her. She had to pull her gun on him to get him to back down. After that, everyone gave her wide berth. They knew this was not a time to test her even in the 

slightest.

 

She marched through the hallways, not even having to ask where the room was. She just looked sharply at every passing individual, and followed the way their gaze turned. She just got angrier with each step she took, knowing she wasn't going to find anything pleasant.

 

She felt much anger in her, not only from herself, but what she felt from the marks. Maybe Richard had finally caught on to what was happening and letting his moral outrage be heard, whatever. She just knew she sensed the Ulfric's anger. And there was also Jean-Claude. 

 

Though he was sleeping, his mind kept running. She could feel his anger, and it was a more 'this-is-none-of-your-business' anger than Richard's moral outrage.

 

She ignored both of them and pushed on.

 

She came to stop just outside the door, knowing that this was it. She could just feel it. She wasn't sure that she wanted to open the door. Opening it meant having to acknowledge what a person she cared for had done. And it meant having to do something about it.

 

But she couldn't turn back now. Her hand closed over the knob and she pushed her way into the room.

 

The first thing she saw was the pile of people on the bed, all of whom flinched when she entered. She picked out Jason immediately, followed by Stephen, and a few other wolves she didn't know by name. 

 

And then there was her, the redhead, sitting frightened in the middle.

 

She felt like the floor had been pulled out from underneath her. She looked hard at this girl, taking in her state as best she could. The girl was scared, tired, and horribly despaired. It was all she needed to see to know that the rumours had been true.

 

Asher had done this.

 

"Anita?"

 

It was Jason, approaching her cautiously. The Vampire Executioner looked at him in a bit of a daze at first, and then her eyes hardened and focused. The next instant, she had out her gun, pointed at all of them. Ever so slightly she nodded her head in the direction of the redhead.

 

"How many?" was the first words out of her mouth. Jason looked torn, looking at the redhead and then at the brunette in the doorway.

 

"Three," he finally replied. Anita swallowed the lump in her throat, her heart sinking a bit more. Three marks.

 

The small brunette had to shake herself. She turned to the slight redhead on the bed, beckoning her with her free hand.

 

"Come on," she ordered. "You're coming to stay with me."

 

The redhead was uncertain, shooting Jason a questioning look as she shuffled out of bed. The werewolf could only shrug and look helplessly in Anita's direction. She approached Anita carefully, moving slowly until she finally reached her side.

 

"Jean-Claude and Asher-"

 

"They can come deal with me personally," Anita all but spat. "But she is not staying here any longer."

 

"But-"

 

"She is not staying here!" Anita roared, grabbing the girl by the arm and pulling her out the door. She almost stumbled to see Nathaniel right behind her, unaware that the wereleopard had followed her into the Circus. But she recovered, pushing the redhead towards him.

 

"She's coming with us."

 

He just nodded and scooped up the yet silent redhead. With Anita beside him, he led the way back to the car, carefully depositing his charge in the backseat before climbing back behind the wheel.

 

Only once she was in the car did Anita relax, putting her gun away in its holster. There was a thick silence on the air as they drove, one broken by the redhead.

 

"He'll come to get me."

 

Anita nodded, rubbing her forehead in a tired fashion.

 

"I know," she murmured. "And then he's going to have to deal with me."

 

The redhead nodded and that was the end of the conversation. Anita sat in the passenger seat, watching the world whizz by her. There was the ache starting in the bottom of her belly, and the Executioner knew.

 

Things would never be the same again.


	9. Chapter 9  Preparing For Battle

He woke up angry.

 

He knew something had happened the moment he came back to himself. He could feel Jean-Claude in the back of his mind, felt the anger the Master of the City felt himself. And he knew that something had happened to Willow.

 

He opened his eyes to a dark room, climbing out of his coffin and heading to the door in the blink of an eye. There was a rather nervous looking shifter right outside, hand raised as if to knock. He waved her off, heading down to Jean-Claude's office without one word. He knew something had happened.

 

And he knew it was probably Anita.

 

Asher had realized long before he actually acted on his plan that Anita would object. She would be angry, full of shock and loathing. She would try to interfere, try to stop any of this from going forward. This was another reason he had moved so fast to give his redhead the marks. He wanted to beat Anita, to own Willow so even the Executioner could not do anything to stop him.

 

He had not counted on her coming home early. It had only been three days, Anita should not have been back in town until tomorrow morning. He had planned for that, but Anita had come home early. 

 

She must have heard the news from someone. Asher had no illusions about the publicity all of this would bring on him. Angelus and William were two of the most renown vampires in existence. To think someone actually had them cornered and helpless, well, news must have traveled very fast.

 

But Anita, she was not supposed to hear this news from others. He had planned to tell her himself, when she came to confront him. He had been counting on a confrontation, planning for it. He knew how to handle Anita. She would never condone this, but he wouldn't not have let her interfere. And once the fourth mark was given, even Anita wouldn't be able to undo this.

 

But Willow had only been given the third mark. And now, Anita had done something. No doubt, he would not like it.

 

The door to Jean-Claude's office was wide open. Asher smelled fear coming from the room before he entered it. His eyes immediately fell on Jason, standing with his head down in front of Jean-Claude's desk. The Master himself was seated at his desk, eyes cold as they gazed upon the wolf.

 

"What did Anita do?"

 

Those were the first words out his mouth, and he sounded a little too resigned even to his own ears. But Asher felt a little validated. After all, he had come to expect very elaborate and complicated messes when Anita decided she wanted to be involved in his business.

 

"She took her," Jean-Claude replied icily, still glaring a hole in Jason. Asher paused for a moment, not sure he had heard right.

 

"She what?"

 

"She took Willow," this was the tiny whisper from Jason. The wolf still had his head down, eyes on the floor as he explained.

 

"She came in the early morning, waved her gun around, and took Willow."

 

She had taken Willow. He had not expected that. Anita was just full of surprises.

 

"You allowed her to take my human servant away?"

 

Jason bit his lip, Asher could see he was having a hard time not protesting. Asher knew that Jason felt for his redhead, not liking the situation she was forced into. But he also knew that Jason was also a very obedient wolf, and not likely to do anything to bring his master's anger down on him.

 

"Anita has free reign in my Circus," Jean-Claude murmured, as if reading his thoughts. "Jason here was in a terrible decision. I long ago told them Anita was not to be hurt. But I also told them to guard Willow."

 

"Then it is not his fault," Asher replied smoothly. "And punishing would be pointless at this time."

 

Jean-Claude's eyes went to his, eyebrows raised ever so slightly.

 

"Oh?"

 

"No doubt Monsieur Zeeman has found out about this as well," Asher shrugged. "Punishing one of his wolves for something beyond his control would only serve to anger him further."

 

"And I fear Richard now because?"

 

"Because he is most likely standing beside Anita, in the way to recovering Willow."

 

Jean-Claude nodded, dismissing Jason with a wave of his hand. The wolf scampered out of the room, not daring a look back. Asher watched him go in mild interest. Jean-Claude's voice interrupted his thoughts once more.

 

"We should go, non?"

 

Asher nodded.

 

"We should."

 

*****

 

Funny, but she was becoming accustomed to waking up with five or more people in the same bed with her.

 

It probably had a lot to do with who was in the bed with her. Almost always shifters who only wanted to give her comfort through their touch. It was sweet, and a lot more relaxing than she ever would have thought. All this cuddling, it did well to ease the mind and rid a person of their cares. It wasn't that she ever forgot why she was here, or about HIM, but she was able to stop obsessing over it.

 

It was nice to just lay back and see how things go. Nice to have other people running around trying to find a way to help her. It was nice to see people more powerful than HIM sticking up for her. It gave her hope. Not a lot, but some.

 

And she was really grateful for that.

 

This Anita woman, the Executioner and Jean-Claude's human servant (or partly human servant, only three marks on that girl), was so wound up about all this. She took Willow to her home and immediately started making plans for the vampire's arrival at night. It was almost like preparations for war with the small brunette rambling on about 

defences and weapons.

 

And by the way, Anita had way more guns and knives that any normal human on this plant had a right to have. It was just plain scary.

 

Willow honestly didn't see Anita, no matter how many guns, and her little band of wereleopards (who were just so cute!) putting up much of a fight against the vampires. That is, until he arrived.

 

He was tall, with longish brown hair and one hell of a build. His eyes were dark brown, and very stormy as he was regaled with her story. His name was Richard, he was Ulfric of the St. Louic pack, and he was so not happy with Jean-Claude and HIM right now. His pretty eyes kept flashing a frightening amber colour. And he growled. A lot.

 

He had brought more people with him, more werewolves. Willow had been astonished with how powerful they all were. This was nothing like Oz and Veruca, whose lycanthropy had been warped by the Hellmouth. No, this was the real deal, and it was scary. These guys were so powerful, even in their human state. Stronger and faster than normal humans, though Buffy could probably still have them beat. On an one-to-one basis that is. Willow felt sorry for anyone that had to come up against a group of these shifters. They wouldn't stand a chance.

 

They were all crawling over Anita's house, waiting on the sun to set. Willow had been sent into one of the bedrooms, she was assuming Anita's, and told to rest. The redhead had wanted to protest, insisting that she at least be a part of this, but her body made the decision for her. She was just too tired to do anything constructive at this point.

 

She had been given a spare pair of jammies and tucked into bed with five other wereleopards. It had been unnerving at first to be in a bed with so many people (especially ones in different states of undressed), but soon she relaxed and drifted off into sleep. She awoke a few hours later, much more rested and completely at ease with all the people piled around her.

 

Nathaniel, the one with the long hair, was curled at her side, head resting on her chest. Zane and Cherry, a couple she thought, were closer together, with Cherry's hand clasping one of Willow's. Vivian and Gregory were sleeping at the bottom of the bed, Vivian's arms linked through one of Willow's legs. It was odd, but comforting.

 

But she felt a steady fear increasing in the pit of her stomach. She looked towards the drawn windows and she could almost feel the sun setting. It was an odd sensation, one she decided not to dwell on.

 

HE would be coming, and soon.

 

She could only hope Anita was ready.


	10. Chapter 10  The Lines Are Drawn

"How can he not be there? He is supposed to be there! Of course I understand that he is a busy vampire . . . I didn't come all this way to be pulled around like- Listen to me you little snot-nosed piece of corpse! I've been killing your kind since before you were even born a human, so I would advise you to cut the bullshit unless you make me angry! Fine! Tell him he will be hearing from the Council! What? Bloody Hell, both of them!"

 

Xander was wide-eyed by the time Giles slammed down the phone. He turned his gaze sideways, exchanging a look with Gunn. The black man shrugged his shoulders, going back to the slow process of unpacking and maintaining his precious axe. Wesley merely ignored all of them, reclining on his hotel bed, nonchalantly reading a book.

 

Once Giles had stopped seething and muttering curses, Wesley lowered that book and gave the older man a curious look.

 

"Bad news?" he asked warmly. Giles only fixed him with a glare, sinking into an armchair unhappily.

 

"The Master of the City is out," Giles replied, possibly mimicking the vampire he had been talking to before. "He has very important business to take care of. We will just have to wait for his call."

 

"That's bullshit!" Xander exploded. "We played by their rules. Only the four of us came and now we get to see Willow. That was the deal!"

 

Gunn nodded, looking up from his axe.

 

"Those were the rules," he agreed. "And I'm guessing this was top priority for the vamp, considering how much the Two Councils are all up in it as well. So you've got to wonder, why would he risk pissing off that many people by not letting us see Red?"

 

"The only reason to do such a thing is if he had no other choice," Wesley mused. "And that leads us to believe that . . ."

 

"He might not have Willow anymore," Xander finished for him. Gunn beamed, slapping the other man heartily on the back.

 

"And Angel said you weren't bright!" he exclaimed. Xander grinned and then frowned. Any reply he had was cut off by Giles's outburst.

 

"They don't have Willow!" the Watcher looked damn near homicidal. "They lost Willow. How could they lose her? And to who?"

 

Wesley sighed, easing up into a sitting position as he answered.

 

"I think we need to figure out who the other big players in the area are," the former Watcher concluded. "Once we find that out, we've got a pretty good place to start looking for Miss Rosenburg."

 

Gunn nodded, heading for the phone.

 

"I'll call the Dead Man."

 

*****

 

HE was near.

 

She could feel, like this humming on her skin, a siren going off in the back of her mind. HE was very close.

 

Willow reached out, gripping Nathaniel's hand in her own. The wereleopard gripped her hand back just as tightly, casting a reassuring look in her direction. She felt only marginally better with Nathaniel beside her. No offence to the leopard, but he wasn't as intimidating as she would have liked. But on the plus side, he seemed perfect for clinging to in fear. He seemed like a very clingable guy.

 

She could hear the shifters outside moving about, getting ready. Anita and Richard probably felt Jean-Claude coming, their own marks giving them the warning. She wondered exactly what was going to happen. All these shifters looked prime to fight, but from what she could tell, the Master of the City, the Nimir-Ra, and the Ulfric were allies. And they were that way out of necessity, meaning fighting amongst themselves wasn't just folly.

 

It could be fatal.

 

HE was so close now. She couldn't think straight. The same fear she always felt in his presence came rearing back up, causing her to almost stop breathing. Nathaniel dropped her hand, just pulling the redhead into his lap, enveloping her into a hug. She was shaking, just by the implications of HIM being here. She knew that they must all smell her fear, but she just couldn't help herself.

 

HE did this to her. Made her scared of him and nearly drive her out of her mind wanting to see him. She wasn't sure just how she felt about him, just knew it was this storm of emotions ripping through her mind. Maybe if she just sat here, clinging to Nathaniel, nothing bad would happen and all of this would go away. Not likely to happen, but hey, she could hope.

 

Someone was nearing the bedroom door. There was light knocking before the knob turned and someone stepped through. The redhead was confused and relieved to see Jason standing there. She hopped to her feet, rushing to embrace him. She had no illusions about this place, she knew Jason would be held accountable for her disappearance. She had been very worried about him, not knowing what, if anything, the vampires would do to him.

 

"I got off," he whispered to her, answering her unspoken question. 

 

She nodded, leaning back a bit to look closely at him. His face was tense, eyes filled with some unknown terror. He could see what was happening in the rest of the house. He was thinking the same thing as they all were.

 

Would it really come down to a fight tonight?

 

She stepped out of his arms, going back to sit in Nathaniel's lap. She had seen the pout that came to his face when she jumped up to see Jason. Poor little thing, he got awfully attached awfully fast. Not that she minded, he was a good source of comfort. There just was something in his stature that just radiated 'serene' to her.

 

Jason merely followed, sitting down right in front of the two of them. She turned her head to the door, nodding the direction of outside.

 

"How long?"

 

He didn't need to know what she was talking about, he just knew.

 

"Not long," he replied, shrugging indifferently. "Maybe five minutes. Can you . . ."

 

She nodded, leaning her head down to lay on Nathaniel's chest. His hands came up, stroking her hair very softly. She remembered when Jean-Claude had done that, when she had been given the third mark. She felt better when Nathaniel did it. But her inner desire liked it went Jean-Claude did it.

 

It made her head hurt to think about all the contradications within herself at the moment.

 

"I've never seen Anita so angry," Nathaniel murmured, resting his chin on top of Willow's head. "She's just so . . ."

 

"It happened to her once," Jason shrugged. That was news to Willow. 

 

The redhead shot the werewolf a disbelieving look.

 

"What?"

 

"It happened to her once," he repeated. "This vamp knocked her out and gave her all four marks before she could wake up. He had some problem with Jean-Claude, thought he could use Anita against her."

 

"But Anita has Jean-Claude's marks," Willow protested. "How can she have his three if she got four from that other guy? Isn't that against the rules?"

 

"The other vamp is dead," Jason shrugged. "And Anita didn't die because she had two of Jean-Claude's before, add onto that she's one Hell of a tough woman, and she survived his death. The other three came afterwards. It's complicated. I don't even know if I could tell it half-right."

 

Willow shook her head. There was a lot more to Anita than she had originally thought. But it still didn't answer the most pertinent question at hand.

 

"Will she fight them?"

 

Again, only a shrug.

 

"She loves Jean-Claude," Nathaniel murmured. "And she loves Asher too, in her own way. This came out of left field for her. For all of us. I didn't think they would ever do something like this, and then think she would let them get away with it."

 

"Revenge waits for no one," Willow muttered unhappily, leaning back against the wereleopard. "Richard's ready to fight."

 

Jason made a bit of a face.

 

"Richard hates monsters," the blonde snorted. "Himself included. And he really hates it when monsters do monstrous things. He's ready to fight."

 

They fell into a bit of silence after that. Willow's eyes were constantly on the only window in the room. It didn't show much, not even the driveway, but she kept looking anyway. She could see the moon from here, see the way it shone so bright. It was hypnotizing, providing a focus for her as she swam forth the feelings she was getting.

 

Anger. Anticipation. Resignation. Fear. Desire. So many feelings. Too bad she didn't which belonged to who. It was like HE was there, right inside her mind with her. She was aware of HIM, and of his feelings. And she knew the moment he stepped onto Anita's front porch. Felt like it a shock wave rippling through her body.

 

She gasped and went tense. Nathaniel gripped her tight, pulling her closer to himself. Jason leapt to his feet, eyes flickering with fear and amber.

 

"They're here."


	11. Chapter 11  Stalemate

Asher was the picture of patience as he reclined in his seat. His eyes flicked outside the limo's window, watching as Anita's house drew closer and closer. But underneath it all, he was raging inside. If looks could kill . . . Anita's house would be in flames.

 

He could sense all the shifters inside, sense what Willow was feeling in that house. She felt anxious, images of battles and wars flitting through her mind. He knew without a doubt, Anita was prepared to fight.

 

It enraged him.

 

How dare she presume to keep Willow from him? He understood her anger and shock at the recent events, but the fact she would actually stand between a vampire and his human servant . . . He always thought Anita to be smarter than that.

 

He wasn't sure he wanted her to prove him wrong.

 

Jean-Claude was tense, and even more angry than Asher was. The Master of the City took a lot of disobedience from Anita, a lot more than he should, and now, this had to be the last straw. Jean-Claude had a vested interest in this revenge as much as he did. As well, the other two-thirds of his triumvariate were taking a stance against him. If news of this got out, and reached the ears of some of his enemies, the outcome would not be good for any of them.

 

They had not brought anyone else with them, there was no point. Damien may be the only vampire other than themselves strong enough to withstand such a fight, but he was out of the picture due to Anita. A human servant who had a vampire servant all her own. 

 

It was mind-boggling.

 

They were stopping now, pulling up to the driveway. Such a quaint little home Anita had bought herself, trying hard to separate herself from innocent neighbours by choosing this secluded location. It was a good idea, in theory. But the further away from civilization, the further away from other help. But then again, Anita was not one to depend on others, nor to need them.

 

She was independent if nothing else.

 

Jean-Claude was quick to step outside once the vehicle had stopped. Asher followed at a much slower pace, his eyes roaming over the house. His gaze was drawn to the side of the house, the one pointed away from the road. She was in there, with others. She was working herself into a state of hysterics, no doubt raised by his presence.

 

They were going to have to work on that fear of hers. It was bound to hinder their relationship. Cold as it sounded, he couldn't have a human servant petrified of him for safety reasons. Hers as well as his, their lives were now so bound, nothing affected one without affecting the other.

 

Her fear was only going to be detrimental to both of them.

 

"Are you ready?" Jean-Claude murmured to him. He gave the barest of nods, a flash of fang appearing as he smirked.

 

"She has gathered an army of sorts," he returned in soft tones. "She seems very determined. I wonder what she will demand."

 

"No doubt something incredibly infuriating," Jean-Claude replied. "She just does not understand our ways."

 

"She is human," Asher stated in response. "She judges us by human laws, forgetting they do not apply to us as well."

 

"Her one downfall," Jean-Claude conceded, turning to gaze at his friend.

 

"Shall we?"

 

*****

 

She wondered what they would do. She wondered what she would do in response. Richard was ready, halfway to shifting. The others were ready as well, willing to move on her command.

 

But was she ready to do give the order? Would it come down to that? What the Hell was taking them so long to walk up her Goddamn porch?

 

She was wound up, there was no doubt about that. The entire day had been spent, playing out all the possible scenerios in her head. Only a few of them ended pleasantly, and that was due to her outright overly optimistic thinking. She had crossed a line with them, just as they had with her. They wanted Willow, she was not giving Willow to anyone against the redhead's will.

 

Stalemate.

 

Jean-Claude was angry, she could feel it through the marks. The bond was often more a pain than a benefit, like now. She was angry, Jean-Claude was angry, Richard was angry, and through the marks, their anger was feeding each other. She wasn't sure if they would be able to handle much of a confrontation. Things were already at the boiling point, and they could only get worse.

 

The knock on her door was so unexpected that half the house jumped. All eyes went to her. Licking dry lips, she gave a nod to Zane, who moved to open the door. Well, not open so much as unlock and then jump back into the ranks of other shifters. She was well aware that everyone was very afraid of what would come out of this meeting, she was too. But there was nothing to be done about it.

 

The knob was turning, deliberately slow. She knew that they were teasing her, drawing this out so they could grate her nerves just a bit. It made her kind of irritated.

 

It swung open with agonizingly slow speed, and then there they were. The two vampires in this world that she loved, but never quite trusted. Gut instinct on her part, one that seemed to be paying off. She could see nothing but anger in those two sets of blue eyes. Asher held himself a bit more reserved than Jean-Claude, still clinging to shadows and light to hide the scars he detested so much. Jean-Claude stood right in the centre of the hall, glaring at her with such intensity she almost backed up.

 

Almost.

 

"Where is she?"

 

Asher's voice floated over to her and she shivered. Richard stepped forward when she did not answer, eyes flickering with amber.

 

"She is not going anywhere," the Ulfric spat. "How dare you just play with her life like that? She's just a girl-"

 

"Who has seen much more than you think Monsieur Zeeman," Asher cut him off firmly. "The very things she has seen, the things she has been forced to do, have made her much older than you think. She is anything but innocent, unfortunately. I will not make an excuse for all this, but nor will I allow you to stand between me and my human servant. That will just not happen."

 

"How could you do it?" she blurted out, tearing her eyes from Jean-Claude for a second. "How could you do that to her?"

 

"She suited our purposes," this answer came from Jean-Claude. "It is something you cannot understand. Ma petite, for you, revenge is about killing retaliation for an injury. But you know nothing of the real nature of revenge."

 

"What the Hell could she have done that deserved this revenge?" Richard demanded. "What could she have done to you?"

 

"She didn't do a thing," Asher replied softly. "It is most unfortunate that she has been pulled into this, but as you know, it cannot be undone."

 

"You can't just play with people's lives like this," she interrupted. "It's not right, it's not legal-"

 

"We are not humans!" Jean-Claude interrupted with more force to his tone. "We cannot conform to their rules. We have our own, and this does not break any of them."

 

There was a brief silence, the only sound the low growls coming from the various shifters in the room.

 

"We can't fix it," she finally conceded. "But that doesn't mean I can't do anything about it now."

 

Asher turned cold eyes on her.

 

"What is it you think you can do?"

 

She swallowed, drawing herself upright and looked him right in the eyes.

 

"Willow does not get the fourth mark, unless she agrees to it."

 

This was dismissed with a wave of his hand.

 

"Do not ask for such ridiculous things-"

 

"That's the way it is," she interrupted, a steely tone entering her own voice. "Or you don't see her again. From now on, Willow makes the decisions concerning her life."

 

"You tread on a very thin line here ma petite," Jean-Claude whispered to her. "You might not like the consequences of it."

 

"We're ready to fight, if that's what it takes," Richard informed them. "I wanted to fight right from the start. But Anita, for once, wanted to try her hand at diplomacy. I figure its never bound to cross her mind again, so why not give it a go?"

 

She was going to be angry about that later. But right now, there were other matters to contend with.

 

"I don't want to fight," she told them. "And I don't think you do either."

 

"In that, you are right ma petite," Jean-Claude sighed. "We all have too much to lose if our alliance, if you will, were to fall apart. But as much as I would like to resolve, Asher is the one you must ask."

 

And so she asked Asher.

 

"Please."

 

The vampire did not look at her, instead sending his glare down the hallway, to her bedroom door.

 

"Bring her out," he ordered. "I have conditions of my own to lay down for this."

 

"This is not a negotiation-"

 

"Isn't it?" Asher interrupted Richard. "You have made your offer, and now you will bring Willow out so I can make mine. That is how we will do this. No other way."

 

She was stuck. On one hand, he wasn't agreeing. On the other hand, he wanted to talk about it. Which was much better than just fighting it out.

 

She sighed, turning to Micah at her side.

 

"Go get Willow."


	12. Chapter 12  The Mouse That Roared

It was time.

 

She knew it before Micah even knocked on the door. She had felt him enter the house, felt his anger over the whole situation. It was almost suffocating, the way it just rolled over her and took control of her senses. HE was beyond angry.

 

Small mercy that he wasn't angry with her.

 

No, she knew that, felt it. His anger was focused on one person. Anita.

 

She could see the petite brunette in her mind's eye, knowing she got the images from HIM. They were close, the two of them, in some odd way. She loved him, he cared for her. But all of this was borderline betrayal for HIM. And that's why, he was pissed as Hell.

 

She wondered what was going on out there. She hadn't spoken to anyone other than Jason and Nathaniel since lunchtime. Anita and Richard just kept pacing in the living room, barking orders and the such. She didn't know what their plan was, what they hoped to accomplish. All she knew was that they had designated themselves her protectors, and she was very grateful.

 

She figured she was going to need all the help she could get. Willow wasn't so sure she completely understood everything that happened to her, but she knew that her life was beyond changed. It was damn near ruined because of all of this. All because of this vendetta HE had against two of her friends.

 

What the Hell had Angel and Spike done to warrant such anger? To warrant such hatred? And why the Hell was she chosen as the perfect means for revenge? Yeah, she was their friend, but there were other people to consider. Dru for one was a lot closer to either vamp, though both hated her now, they still felt responsible for her. And if not that, hello! What about Buffy? Not that she would wish this on Buffy, but it made more sense in her mind for Asher to have gone after the Slayer. Both vamps were seriously in love with her blonde friend. If HE wanted revenge so bad, why not go for the love of their unlives?

 

He was walking around the house, pacing in the front hall. She could feel him, sense when his gaze came to rest on the bedroom door. She could feel when HIS thoughts became directed towards her. It was like direct link between both their minds that wasn't quite complete. She got things off of HIM, but not all the time. It was like brief flashes, coming and going without explanation. She knew it was the bond, but she didn't understand it.

 

Jean-Claude had come with him, and she knew on principle that the Master of the City was angry. There was no other way about it. If Asher felt Anita's actions were borderline betrayal, than Jean-Claude felt it was betrayal. Amazing how many people were affected by this whole little incident. You wouldn't think little Willow Rosenburg could be the centre of such political and emotional turmoil, but here they were.

 

When the knock came, she instinctively clung tighter to Nathaniel. For one second, she thought it was all over. That Anita and Richard had backed down, or worse, had been put down, and now HE had come to collect her. It was a fleeting fear, but one she felt down in her centre.

 

Nathaniel gave her a quick squeeze, burying his face in her neck as if he could sense her fear. Hell, he could probably smell it. Hadn't Jason told her something like that? That shifters could smell fear? It was a creepy notion. 

 

The werewolf in question jumped to his feet at knock, a nervous look being sent Willow's way. She only shrugged and hugged Nathaniel tighter. He really was great to have around, a constant source of comfort. Like a stuffed animal, you could just cling to him and feel a bit better.

 

The door was opened and there stood Micah. The Nimir-Raj looked in, gaze fixing on Willow. He briefly took in her position, the way she clung to Nathaniel and seemed hesitant. But in the end, he had to say what he had been sent to say.

 

"He wants you to come out."

 

Good thing or bad thing? HE wanted her to come out, but the way it was phrased indicated that she might have a choice. A very small part of her wanted to stay in here with her friends. A larger part of her wanted everything to be over. But there was an even larger part of her that wanted to run in the opposite direction.

 

Of course, they'd probably catch her real fast. Stupid non-humans.

 

So, she just got to her feet and made her way to the door, making sure that she had a good grip on Nathaniel before she did. The wereleopard was content to follow her, wrapping an arm around her waist and trailing after her. She was briefly considering putting him in front of her, but realized that it wouldn't do much good. Again, no offence to Nathaniel, but he seemed like the cowering and looking for salvation kind of guy rather than the kind to face down one Hell of an angry Master vampire. 

 

Jason was kind of half and half, falling into step next to her, but not willing to take the brunt of whatever was coming by stepping up front. Not that she blamed him, remember she could feel HIS anger. There was no way she would even dream of putting Jason up as a buffer. She had the bargaining chip of being HIS human servant, Jason was just some wolf. She doubted that he would survive long against HIS anger.

 

The crowd of no-humans parted in front of her, letting her make her way uninterrupted to the living room. She didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Hell, it probably didn't have anything to do with anything, just her over-analyzing yet again. Well, maybe she should over-analyze, because focusing on HIM was just not a pleasant alternative.

 

And speaking of the devil (she almost snorted when that thought struck her), there HE was. Leaning against the wall, just in front of the door. Half hidden in shadows, just like always. She frowned, pondering that aspect of his behaviour for a second. In her mind, she felt the slightest flash of pain and something akin to shame before she was brought back to herself.

 

Her eyes went to HIS and she felt conflicted. There was this fear inside of her, trying to drive her back to the safety of the bedroom. But there was also the stubborn part of her, the proud part facilitated by years of Scooby-hood, that wanted to meet him head on. Of course, there was the overwhelming urge to go running to him, to run her hands through his lovely blonde hair, to have him touch her in a way to satisfy this desire she felt at the sight of him, and the need to feel his fangs sinking into her neck . . .

 

She shook herself, trying to rid her mind of those images. She wasn't sure where that had come from, and she was pretty damn sure that she didn't want to know. Willow looked deep inside of herself, trying to find the anger she knew should be there. She was coming up pretty empty, fear and desire prevailing.

 

HE smirked and moved away from the wall. Making his way to the door, she was struck at the triumph on his face. She knew in an instant he felt her desire and thought that made HIM the winner in whatever kind of battle this was.

 

"Come."

 

That short command summed it all up. HE thought he had won just because she wanted to jump his undead body. Please, that wasn't even something she could control! But he had the nerve, to stand there and think that HE had won. That HE got to dictate things to her. 

 

All of a sudden, the anger she had been searching for found its way to the front and she gave him her answer.

 

"Bite me."

 

*****

 

Anita wanted to choke the moment she heard the words leave Willow's mouth. There was a few gasps, as well as snorts, as the redhead human stared down the vampire who had made himself her master. There was a fire starting to burn in the girl's eyes, something Anita hadn't been sure the redhead had possessed. It was like looking at a completely different person.

 

Nathaniel was marveling at the change, instead of offering comfort he was almost seeking it from Willow. She stood tall, rage in her eyes as she looked at Asher.

 

The command must have done it. Anita admitted it had been awfully cocky of him, but she hadn't expected this from her.

 

And neither had Asher. There was definite shock in his eyes for a second, and then the cold expression was back.

 

"Excuse me?" 

 

His voice wafted over the room, the menace underlying it evident. Richard let out a growl, moving a bit closer to Willow. The Ulfric was very opinionated on this matter, and he wasn't about to let anything happen to Willow.

 

But the redhead just pushed him aside, stepping forward to look right at Asher. Days of pent up anger and fear came rushing to her face, the faintest sight of disgust on her face.

 

"I am not your slave," she spat at the vampire. "No matter how many of these Goddamn marks you put on me. You've had your say, no doubt, but now it is time you listen to me."

 

"I do not-"

 

"I didn't say you could talk!" 

 

Anita shifted, hand going to her gun at that instant. The very outraged scream from Willow had shot the tension through the roof. Asher looked downright murderous as he stared at his human servant. For her part, Willow didn't look any less threatening.

 

"What is your say?"

 

Jean-Claude, a tone of civility to his voice. Huh, even the Master of the City was realizing how delicate the situation had gotten. The anger he came in with was still there, but now there was also the faintest trace of concern. Looking between Willow and Asher, Anita could understand why. Those two were looking like they were going to hurt one another.

 

"I'm not going back to that place," the redhead stated calmly. "I realize that whatever happened to me is irreversible, but there is no chance in Hell I am going to live with HIM!"

 

Her irate green eyes slid to Asher, the vampire's own cold eyes staring back steadily.

 

"So, I suggest we all sit down and talk about this," Willow continued. "I'm not going to lie, I have no idea what half the things happening to me are, and I doubt that I know the full extent of this bond. But whatever happens now, it happens on a bit of compromise. You tell me what you want, and I'll tell you what I'm willing to give."

 

Asher was silent. Anita knew him well enough to know that he was thinking over Willow's change in demeanour thoroughly. The way she was standing up to him now was a complete change from the redhead who had spent the better part of three days cowering in fear. She was strong now, determined.

 

And for one second, just one, Anita swore she saw something like approval flash across Asher's face. It was gone as quick as it came, but Anita saw it.

 

Stunned, the Executioner watched as the vampire walked further into the room, settling into her armchair. He folded his hands in his lap and looked expectantly up at Willow.

 

"Shall we start then?"


	13. Chapter 13  Bartering

Okay.

 

She had done it. She had stood up to him. After three days of cowering and crying, she had done it. She had put that self-satisfied, incredibly sexy vampire in his place.

 

Sexy?

 

Damn these marks! They made an already complicated situation even more so. Why is it that human servants have to lust after their masters all the time? Regardless of what their masters had done? 

And since when do vampire bites feel as good as HE made them?

 

And why the hell was she thinking about this right now?

 

They were going to talk about it. He was willing to sit down and talk to her about it. More likely than not, he was going to try and dictate things to her. But she knew that neither Richard nor Anita were going to let him push her around.

 

She would do it herself, but her nerves were shot. That one confrontation had taken a lot of her. It was harder than she thought to be angry at him, to try and feed her hatred of him. And it was really hard to try and go against his will, especially when looking into those gorgeous blue eyes . . .

 

Damn it! He had to be doing something to her. Just a few seconds ago, she was all angry and letting him have it. But now, she was seated across from him, thinking only of how extremely hot this vampire was. It wasn't fair! She had to focus.

 

Her future was on the line.

 

She leaned back against the couch, trying hard not to meet his eyes. Something happened to her when she did, and not the usual mesmerizing thing she had come to expect from these vampires. No, there was something else there. She could look into those eyes and get pulled somewhere. Somewhere that she wasn't supposed to be. Somewhere deep inside HIM.

 

Nathaniel was still with her, something she was grateful for. The leopard had been impressed by her display of rage, actually hiding more behind her than usual. Jason had approved whole-heartedly, tossing her a wink as she took a seat next to Richard. She had only returned it with a weak smile, dragging Nathaniel down beside her. Richard was all handsome and strong, but she felt better with Nathaniel. It had to be the clinging comfort factor.

 

And she really needed it right now. Anita was settling down next to Richard, facing off against her own master as Jean-Claude took a seat on Asher's side of the living room. The shifters were spreading themselves out among the room, all still tensed for battle. Willow herself felt that the moment for fighting had passed. At least the moment for physical fighting had passed. No doubt there would still be a lot of disagreements before all of this was over.

 

"She will get the fourth mark."

 

So, HE was going to start off the talk. There was such authority in his voice, Willow just wanted to back down and agree to whatever he had to say. Again, she figured this was coming from the marks, but she didn't like it. She actually hated the way the marks manipulated her thoughts, drawing her closer and closer to HIM. She didn't want to be close to HIM, she wanted to be on the other side of the country from HIM.

 

But she knew deep inside, she could never be that far away from HIM again. This was forever.

 

She shivered, shifting so that she was closer to Nathaniel. The leopard responded by slinging an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to his side. She felt a bit better, but knew she would feel a lot better if she got to climb into his lap. But she figured sitting on his lap like a little girl would undermine the display she had just given.

 

And it would make HIM angry.

 

That thought surprised her. She dared a glance up at HIM, seeing that his face was still in that stone cold expression as before. She could see nothing from his face, but she felt him plainly enough. HE didn't like the way she was clinging to Nathaniel. It was almost as if he was feeling jealous about it.

 

She wanted to snort at that thought, but she stopped herself. She thought over her own reactions to HIM since she had gotten the marks and had a revelation. If she felt stuff like that for HIM, because of the marks, he had to feel something for her as well. So, most likely, HE was jealous.

 

The redhead felt a bit better, knowing that HE was being jerked around just as much as she was by the damn marks.

 

"She is not getting anything more unless she wants."

 

Oh yeah, they were talking here. Anita was staring hard at the vampires in her living room, reminding Willow of what was going on.

 

"I am not as lenient as some others of my kind Anita," HE replied smoothly. "I will not allow a human servant to carry only three of my marks. For my safety and hers, the bond cannot be only partially complete."

 

"If you were so concerned about her safety, why did you kidnap her?"

 

Yea! Go Richard. Willow honestly felt like kissing the Ulfric for that. She had been wanting to say something like that for the longest time.

 

"What has been done is done," Jean-Claude interrupted. "And I agree with Asher. The bond should not be left half-finished. We are quite the exceptional case, ma petite. But our darling Willow, she does not have the advantage of powers like you. She is essentially weakened by the incompletion of the bond. And if we find ourselves in a situation, like we often do, she will be the one to suffer the most."

 

Anita was silent, as if she agreed. Willow wanted to yell at the Master of the City for that. Situation? He thought being in a 'situation' meant she would be at a disadvantage? Did this guy not know who she was? She was Willow Rosenburg, friend of the Slayer, a stopper of apocalypses. She had been in plenty of 'situations' in her lifetime, and hello! Still alive here.

 

"The fourth mark will be given."

 

Okay, they seemed pretty hyped up on this fourth mark thing. She knew that deep inside of herself, it shouldn't really matter all that much to her. She already had three of the four, and getting the final one would make her stronger. But it would also make the bond stronger, and she wasn't sure she was ready for it being stronger. 

She wasn't sure if she liked how strong it was at the present moment.

 

"I will give her a month."

 

A month?

 

"A month?" she repeated incredulously, feeling the anger rear its ugly head again. "No way mister. A year is more like it."

 

HIS eyes hardened as he sent a glare her way. But she held her head up, looking at him defiantly.

 

"Two months," he spat out, tone final. She snorted, like she cared about that.

 

"Nine," she corrected.

 

"Six and that is all I will allow."

 

"Deal."

 

Well, that had been easy. Willow was well aware that she was getting strange looks right now, that they both were, but she didn't care. Like Asher had said, this was a negotiation. And she was going to haggle like her life depended on it. Because it kind of did.

 

"But you will stay at the Circus."

 

Anger yet again.

 

"No way," she retorted.

 

"She already said she wasn't going to," Richard jumped in. "And you're not going to force her into anything."

 

Asher looked like he wanted to kill Richard, or eat him at the very least. Anita didn't say a word, but the look in her eyes was enough. Willow wasn't going if she didn't want to.

 

"Then where will you stay?"

 

Willow faltered. She hadn't thought about that.

 

"I'm willing to put her up," Anita broke in quickly. "If she wants."

 

Willow nodded, finding herself at a loss for words. She was starting to feel like she loved Anita right now, Richard too. These guys were so good to her, and they barely knew her.

 

"Very well," HE didn't look happy with that at all. "But she must come to the Circus every night to see me-

 

"Every other night-"

 

"Five days a week," and this time she knew not to push for more. "And I hold the right to give her the fourth mark if the situation calls for it."

 

Willow was guessing he meant life and death, and she was surprisingly all right with that. Richard and Anita were looking her way, and she gave the slightest nod.

 

"That's it then," Anita announced, getting to her feet. Willow could feel the relief washing off the woman. The redhead was right there with her. They had a solution, and no blood had been shed to get it. Yea for them.

 

Asher stood without another word, stomping out of the house with Jean-Claude at his heels. The redhead resisted the urge to roll her eyes. So he didn't get exactly what he wanted. Should have thought of that when he picked his human servant.

 

Stuck or not, Willow Rosenburg wasn't anyone's slave.

 

*****

 

"Anita Blake. That sounds familiar."

 

"She's the Executioner," Gunn replied, answering Xander's soft spoken words. "She's on the news a lot. One of the best Vampire Executioners in the country."

 

"She's licensed to kill these things?" Xander looked mildly impressed. "I'm going to look into one of those."

 

"There is a training program," Giles warned him. Xander just scoffed at this.

 

"I was a soldier once, remember?" The young man looked proud for a second. "I think I could handle some training."

 

"We should contact her tomorrow," Wesley spoke up, not looking up from his book to even acknowledge anything else being said. "She seems to be very connected to the Master of the City as well. Our best option at this point."

 

"And if that fails?" Gunn asked.

 

"Then we move onto the Ulfric," Giles replied, squinting at the paper Angel had Cordelia fax them. "A Mr. Richard Zeeman."

 

"Isn't it creepy that Deadboy knows who all these people are?" Xander piped up. "And where they live? I doubt either of them is listed as the Ulfric or the Executioner. Hell, I doubt if Miss Blake was even listed anywhere."

 

"He's got the connections," Gunn agreed. "Best not to ask what kind though. I figure its not something we want to know."

 

Giles nodded, looking up at the three other men in the room.

 

"Tomorrow then?"

 

He got three nods in response. Sighing in relief, the Watcher settled down on his bed, thankful that something was looking to go their way.

 

They needed to find Willow. And they needed to do it now. And at the moment, Miss Blake seemed to be their only way to find the lost redhead.

 

Giles just hoped she could help them.


	14. Chapter 14  What Was That?

The night had gone off as well as one could hope.

 

And Anita meant that in a serious way, none of her usual sarcasm. For all the scenarios she had played out in her head, what actually happened had been a blessing.

 

Not one drop of blood was split. She felt so proud, of herself and her allies. For once, Anita Blake hadn't resorted to shooting her way out of a problem.

 

Richard could just take his 'sociopath monster' bullshit and shove it. Anita proved she still had some sensibility in her. She had resolved a confrontation without so much as even drawing her Browning. It was an accomplishment to say the least.

 

Though, she wasn't sure how long this would last. The fire she had seen in Willow's eyes last night, when she had stood up to Asher, well, it was pretty damn explosive. To think, Asher with his commanding and traditional attitude was going to have to tame that.

 

It wouldn't end pretty. She could just tell.

 

But then again, they could cross that bridge when they got to it. Right now, she was just going to be happy that everyone made it out last night alive. Er, well, no one got any deader last night.

 

The whole process had been draining. As soon as Asher left, all Anita had wanted to do was crawl into her bed and sleep. However, it took a little more than an hour to hustle all wolves out of her house and to settle Willow up in a guest room. When the brunette had finally hit the sack, she hit it hard.

 

A nice dreamless sleep occupied her night, something Anita was grateful for. She hadn't had much sleep since she had heard of Asher's actions, and now was definitely the time to make up for it.

 

It was early morning when she awoke, completely rested. To her disappointment, it was to an empty bed. Staggering out of her bed and into her robe, Anita had gone in search of Micah and the others. 

 

It was in the kitchen she found the various notes and messages left behind for her. Micah had taken Vivian and Gregory home while Zane and Cherry had gone out. So she was basically all on her own.

 

And it turned out to be surprisingly nice. She made herself coffee, got the paper, and settled in at the table for some reading. It was actually starting off as a pretty good day.

 

But as things always seemed to happen with her, the day would not stay so great. She felt the faintest stirrings of it when she sat down at the table first. She tried to ignore it, but pretty soon, not even she could refuse it.

 

Damn ardeur, screwed her up so much. Hmm, screw. She could use one of those right now.

 

Sighing, and trying hard not to stifle under the pressure of the ardeur, Anita stumbled her way back up the stairs. She came to a stop right outside Nathaniel's door, knowing the leopard would still be sleeping. Hope he wouldn't mind feeding her. Ha! Who was she kidding? The boy practically lived for this. She would feel guilty about using him if the ardeur wasn't so harmful to her senses. 

 

Better to just get it over and done with, not leaving it alone until it built to the point she would screw anything that moved just to get rid of it. That hadn't actually happened to her yet, but she sure wasn't going to give it the opportunity.

 

She opened the door without knocking, all the time wasting on thinking only served to drive her need through the roof. Anita stepped into the room, shutting the door firmly behind her, before turning to face the bed.

 

And that's when things went bad.

 

*****

 

Willow had been so proud of herself. She had stood up to him, and haggled her way to a somewhat fair arrangement with the vampire who had ruined her life. Of course, she was still bitter, but that was better than being afraid.

 

Willow had had enough of being afraid.

 

Her only problem now was that she felt kind of alone. The redhead wasn't sure if that came from her isolation from her friends back home, or lack of contact with Asher. She didn't want to think the marks had anything to do with it, chalking it up to the emotional strain of the past few days.

 

And it wasn't like the problem was hard to solve. Yes, she missed home, she missed her friends, and on some level, she missed HIM. But it wasn't a crippling kind of longing. Not in the least because she had a secret weapon against holding off despair.

 

Nathaniel.

 

She wondered if the wereleopard even knew the kind of serenity he had to offer. She knew she felt it, crawling to snuggle up against him whenever depressing thoughts hit her.

 

Like last night, when she had been trying to drift off into sleep. The redhead had tossed and turned for an hour, unable to find any source of rest at all. Her mind was too busy going over the implications of what had happened. Sure they had a deal now, but that didn't mean everything was okay.

 

Things were far from being completely resolved. Willow doubted that their would ever completely resolve this situation, not that she wouldn't try. The redhead just wasn't looking forward to the ride along the way. It seemed like it would be bumpy.

 

And there was another thing bothering her. This would be the first night since she had the marks that Asher wasn't going to be with her. It would be the first night she would have to go to sleep without experiencing his touch. She hadn't thought it would affect her like this, but it did. She wondered if he knew this would happen. That she would be almost suffocated by the need for him to touch her, to bring her that oblivion he had brought her to before. He probably did.

 

Bastard.

 

Calling him names never solved anything, though it made her feel a bit better. But even that was fleeting, so the redhead had to make do with what she had. And that was Nathaniel.

 

Not in the dirty way. She had merely snuck into his bedroom and crawled into bed with him. He hadn't been surprised in the least, wrapping her up in his arms with settling back down into sleep within seconds. She followed him there a few minutes later, grateful to have gotten some rest this night.

 

She was awakened a lot earlier than she would have liked. All she heard was the sound of the door opening, then closing, and then some heavy cursing. Without having to look, Willow knew it was Anita. She recognized the brunette's voice.

 

Nathaniel was quicker to wake up than she was, and he added his own soft curse to that of Anita's. Willow had struggled up in bed, shooting the obviously tense woman a curious look.

 

"Anita?" she ventured. "Are you okay?"

 

"Get out of here Willow!"

 

The command was a surprise, and confused the hell out of Willow. The redhead was surprised to feel Nathaniel's hand on her arm, trying to hurry her out of the room. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she knew it was big. When she passed Anita, the woman's eyes crossed and she looked about ready to pass out.

 

Willow reached out to steady her without giving it another thought. 

 

The horror on Anita's face when Willow touched her elbow was the last thing Willow registered before a wave of heavy sensations overtook her.

 

*****

 

Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! This was not good.

 

Anita tried to hold the ardeur at bay, catching a whiff of Willow's scent as the redhead passed her. She had buckled under the desire, her knees going weak. But she hadn't been worried, knowing Nathaniel would catch her if she should happen to fall.

 

What she didn't expect was for Willow to reach out and touch her. 

 

There was obvious concern on the redhead's face as she did this, and Anita nor Nathaniel had been able to stop her in time.

 

The feather light touch at her elbow sent a wave of terror down her spine, followed by the roaring of the ardeur. It wanted Willow, it liked the way she smelled. It wanted Willow right now.

 

Nathaniel, poor confused Nathaniel, only tried to pull the now entranced Willow away. Anita could have cursed him for that slip. 

 

He came into contact with Willow, and therefore to the ardeur. It was quick to pull him in as well. And Anita knew.

 

She was screwed.

 

*****

 

Willow couldn't describe the sensations overcoming her right now. 

 

All the redhead could register was this desire, this heat between her legs that developed the exact second she had touched Anita. She felt something in the brunette drawing on her, trying to pull on that heat. It wanted something from Willow, but the redhead couldn't be sure what.

 

Nathaniel had tried to pull her away. Not a good idea, because the instant he touched her, her desire went through the floor. Willow could only acknowledge the need for Nathaniel, right now. She couldn't explain, she doubted even he could, but it was there.

 

They made it onto the bed in a blink of an eye. She knew he was using some of his shifter abilities here, and it only made her quiver with anticipation. Her mind couldn't muddle through this wanting haze that had clouded her senses. All she was aware of was the feel on Nathaniel on top of her. She didn't feel him ripping her shorts and panties off in a single motion, didn't feel the pillow at her head, and didn't feel the death grip she had on Anita's hand. She could only feel him.

 

It was what she needed, after being deprived of HIS touch for such a long time. 

Rationally, she knew that wasn't a good enough reason for this, that there was something else at work here. But her mind wasn't working that rationally, and when Nathaniel entered her, all other thoughts were swept from her mind.

 

Oh God! This was so much better than fingers. The feel of it, nothing could substitute. Ever.

 

He filled her completely, not even givng her a moment to adjust before he was thrusting in and out of her. It caused her a bit of pain, something she didn't even mind. It was a good kind of hurt, just like his hard thrusts were a good kind of hurt. The tiny introduction of pain only served to make the whole experience better.

 

He wasn't touching her in the slightest. His hands were positioned on either side of her head, his face animalistic almost as he pounded her into the mattress. It was all right, the lack of touch. She didn't need anything more than the feel of him inside, driving her right to the edge.

 

She brought her legs up around his waist, shrieking in pleasure as it served to bring him deeper into her. There were low growls coming from him, a sound that just riled her up even more. She could feel the bed shaking with the force of his thrusts, her head banging up against the headboard rather painfully.

 

But she didn't mind. She didn't care for anything other than Nathaniel fucking her so hard that her teeth were rattling. She couldn't focus on anything else. She didn't have to.

 

She was getting closer and closer to the edge, feeling it sneak up on her. She felt the start of her climax just as she heard the faint sounds of splintering. She came with a scream just as the bed collapsed from underneath them. Nathaniel didn't even notice, thrusting away until his own climax came.

 

He thrusted hard twice more and then emptied into her. The leopard was exhausted, falling tiredly onto the redhead underneath him. Willow just lay back, trying to regain her breath and senses at the same time.

 

When she did come back to herself, the first thing she noticed was the vise-like grip on her right hand. The redhead turned her head, seeing Anita sitting on the ground beside the remains of Nathaniel's bed. The brunette had her eyes closed, a satisfied look on her face. Willow was a bit confused. Anita looked just like a cat that had been appropriately fed.

 

And then her eyes opened and locked with Willow's own green. The redhead immediately saw the horror, fear, shame, and embarrassment filter into Anita. Willow didn't know what to say, just releasing her hand and letting it come to rest on Nathaniel who was still on top of her. And still inside her, the redhead realized with embarrassment.

 

She looked between the red-faced Nimir-Ra and the purring leopard and asked them straight out.

 

"What was that?"


	15. Chapter 15  Fears, Tears, and Lots of Thongs

"This is it."

 

Xander nodded, acknowledging Gunn's words with a sigh. This was it, the home of Anita Blake, animator extraordinaire and vampire Executioner. As well, their best bet at getting Willow back.

 

"Think Giles and Wes are having any luck with the Ulfric?" he asked, eyes still on the house in front of him. Gunn shrugged, casting a look behind them at the rather isolated surroundings.

 

"Considering no regular human should know he's the Ulfric?" Gunn shook his head. "But the Watchers are reasonable guys. They'll talk some sense into the Wolf King."

 

Xander sniggered at that, a laugh that died almost immediately on his lips.

 

"We should go and ask," he ascertained. Gunn nodded, hand going to touch the axe concealed in his coat for a brief second.

 

"We should."

 

*****

 

"He's going to kill me."

 

Micah felt a bit helpless, patting Anita's hand in what he hoped was a soothing fashion. The small brunette woman was beside herself with shame and fear. She had fed the ardeur, off Willow. It was bound to put some more bumps in her friendship with Asher. But that friendship had been on the rocks for some time now, ever since Anita had found out about Willow in the first place. But none of that mattered right now, because she had done the worst thing possible.

 

"I fed off his human servant without either's permission," she moaned, head going to rest on the tabletop. "I hate this damn ardeur. More trouble than its worth."

 

"Willow doesn't seem that upset," Micah ventured hopefully. Anita gave a dry laugh, shaking her head.

 

"Of course she doesn't," the Executioner grumbled. "She just got fucked good by Nathaniel. No woman would care how that came about."

 

Again, Micah was at a loss. He could only sit there, patting her hand in reassurance while all the while, he knew she was speaking the truth.

 

Willow was not the issue here, Asher was.

 

And he was not going to be happy.

 

*****

 

"I wonder how she's doing."

 

Nathaniel shrugged, keeping himself stomach down on the bedside while Willow talked. The redhead sat right next to him, running a brush through his long auburn hair. Jason, who was sitting on the floor in front of them, had suggested it as a way of calming herself down.

 

It was working.

 

"She's probably embarrassed as hell," the werewolf ventured, moving so he was stretched out on the floor, looking up at the ceiling. "Anita can be a bit squeamish about the whole sex thing."

 

"Well, I wouldn't blame her," Willow sighed, moving so she was sitting on Nathaniel's back as she brushed his hair. "If I had to do what she did because of that ardeur, well . . ."

 

She just let it trail off, concentrating on Nathaniel's hair. The boy had the best hair in the whole entire world. It was so soft and silky, and absolutely beautiful to behold. She felt the tiniest flicker of jealousy as she raked the hairbrush through it. It didn't do wonders for your self-esteem when a man had better hair than you. She didn't know why, it just didn't.

 

Surprisingly, she didn't feel the slightest bit uncomfortable around Nathaniel ever since he fucked her into the floor. She understood now that it was more a product of the ardeur than her own actions, but she still didn't mind. She had needed that, badly. It helped in ways Anita would never know.

 

And it wasn't like regular sex, when you had to deal with all those complicated feelings and stuff afterwards. No, it was nice and it was over. She and Nathaniel both knew that, and were content with it. Nathaniel confessed to her that was the first time he had gotten off without pain in a long time. And besides that, he probably still needed the pain to get off. Willow understood, but she knew right then it could never happen on its own. She adored Nathaniel, she couldn't hurt him. No matter how much he enjoyed it.

 

So they were okay with it. In fact, now they felt a bit more relaxed with each other than before. When they realized that Anita really needed to be away from them, they had retreated to Willow's room and began conversing quietly about all that had happened. They realized it didn't affect their relationship much, and discussed how badly Asher would react to all this. 

 

Willow didn't let Nathaniel in on the jealousy she had picked up from Asher the night before. Asher no doubt was going to take this badly, but Willow would be damned if he took it out on Nathaniel. If HE was going to be so angry about it, he could take that up with her. HE wasn't touching one perfect hair on Nathaniel's head.

 

Jason had shown up a bit later, carrying a bag of Willow's clothes and other things she had picked up on that first day of shopping with him. The redhead had been grateful, considering how Nathaniel had ripped her only pair of panties right off of her. She felt a lot better after changing her clothes and slipping into her underwear. 

Going commando was so not for this redhead.

 

Of course, once she shifted though the clothes brought to her, she was very amused to see the undergarments Jason had brought for her. Shifting through the heaps of lacy thongs that she most definitely did not buy, Willow wasn't too surprised to see that not one of the cotton panties she had brought for herself were in the bag. This was the last time she let Jason bring her clothes.

 

She and Nathaniel had to put up with a lot of teasing and the such from Jason. The wolf wouldn't let it go, winking at them constantly. At one point he had pouted at Willow, whining about how he felt left out being the only person in the room not to have had sex with one of the others. The redhead had grinned and told him she'd be more than happy to leave the room while Jason and Nathaniel fixed that problem.

 

It was a light atmosphere, companionable and comfortable. Willow never felt more at ease with anyone in her life. Except maybe Xander and Buffy, but that was it. And this was very close to that. Jason and Nathaniel were nothing but sweethearts, if not horny and scantily dressed sweethearts. She was very grateful to have them with her.

 

"Well, I guess Anita's more concerned about Asher than feeding from you," Jason spoke up. "I mean, she gets embarrassed about feeding, but not like this. She's practically working herself into a frenzy down there."

 

Willow frowned, shooting the slightly ajar door a look.

 

"Is he really going to do something bad over this?" she questioned, eyes darkening at the thought. "Because if he is, he's got another thing coming-"

 

"I think that its safe to say that we can't guess what Asher's going to do," Jason interrupted the redhead before she could get too riled up. "After all, he's been pretty unpredictable over the last little while."

 

The three of them settled into a bit of a silence after that, the only sound in the room being their breathing and the sound of the brush being pulled through Nathaniel's hair.

 

But after awhile, even that failed to make Willow feel soothed. The redhead sighed, laying the brush down on the night table before stretching out on top of Nathaniel. The leopard tensed and then rolled them, pulling Willow down to his chest and looking at her in concern.

 

"What is it?" he asked softly. Jason got to his knees at that, looking worriedly at the redhead.

 

"You okay?" the wolf asked, looking very worried for the second. She managed a half-smile for them, shaking her head slightly.

 

"I'm just thinking about everything," she whispered. "And trying to remember everything I ever learned about Spike and Angel's exploits across Europe, back in the day. Asher keeps saying this is for revenge, but I don't know what for. What could they have done that was all that bad anyway?"

 

Jason shrugged, leaning his chin on the mattress just beside Nathaniel's head. His forehead came to rest on hers, a reassuring smile being tossed her way.

 

"I think that we're better off not knowing," the wolf answered. "Or at least you are. You said they're your friends right? Do you really want to know?"

 

She pursed her lips, giggling when Nathaniel snapped her bottom lip between his teeth playfully. The redhead relaxed a bit more, trying to shake the concern off.

 

"I guess not," she conceded, laughing when Jason began nuzzling her ear. "Stop that before you start something."

 

He flashed her a grin.

 

"And here I thought you would full from your morning activities," he mocked her. "Insatiable are we Willow?"

 

She rolled her eyes, shoving him back a bit before moving to a sitting positiong, straddling Nathaniel. The leopard bended his knees and she leaned back against them, poking Jason with her toe.

 

"You wish," was all she said before the sound of the doorbell cut her off. Both Jason and Nathaniel freezed, looking at each other before turning their faces towards the bedroom door. Willow frowned at their behaviour, climbing off Nathaniel and making her way to the door. Both shifters joined her, each with a hand on her hip, as if to pull her back if needed.

 

She ignored them, listening as Micah made his way to the front door, Anita following at a slower pace. She started to feel the tension rolling off the others, waiting with bated breath as Micah finally opened the door.

 

"Hello? Is this Anita Blake's house?"

 

She didn't hear Micah's answer, didn't care to hear it. She only heard the voice, and the cry ripped out of her throat before she could stop herself.

 

"Xander!"


	16. Chapter 16  The Reunion

The sound of the doorbell had been startling.

 

Anita jerked her head up, eying Micah in confusion. Both of them turned as one to stare in the direction of the front door. Her hand went to her gun reflexively, even though she could hear Richard's voice nagging her mentally. So what if she always shot first and asked later? That's what kept this girl and her pard alive, so why rock the boat?

 

Micah was up in an instant, giving her a look that Anita knew he learned from Richard. She felt a smirk tugging her lips at this, but she withdrew her gun anyway. But for him, she made a show of putting the safety on.

 

He only shook his head at her, moving to the door as the bell sounded out again. She followed behind him a bit, gun ready. She didn't have to look up the staircase to know that Willow and the boys were watching her. No doubt they were curious as well. Who would be coming to this house at this hour? Practically everyone they knew was sleeping.

 

Micah had reached the door during all her musing. He flashed her another look, one that held a bit of apprehension. She nodded, flicking the safety off when he turned his back. He stiffened, letting her know that he had heard it but there was really nothing he could do about it. Resigned, he opened the door.

 

"Hello? Is this Anita Blake's house?"

 

Okay, that made her suspicious. No one knew where her house was and if they did, they wouldn't be asking that stupid question. She was debating what was up and how angry her counterparts would be if she shot this sudden guest. His, rather their presence was rubbing her the wrong way.

 

But then she heard it. A painful cry, coming from above.

 

"Xander!"

 

*****

 

It was her voice. 

 

He had heard it, he swore to God he heard it. There was only one person of the earth who had that sweet kind of voice, the one that spoke with age and innocence at the same time. It was unbelievable, they had come looking for her and behold, there she was. It was almost too good to be true. In fact, it could have been.

 

Maybe he was imagining all this, brought on by the stress of being without her for so long. Maybe he had just heard what he had wanted to hear, that maybe it didn't happen. A quick look at Gunn told him that the scream wasn't imagined in the least. The man was shooting a quizzical look inside the house, craning his neck to see where the voice had come from. Xander hadn't imagined it. It had happened, he had heard his name being called.

 

And he recognized the voice. It was her, it was his Willow. He knew it the second he had heard it. It was like a shot right to the gut, bringing tears and a shortness of breath to him.

 

"Willow!" 

 

And then he was trying to rush forward into the house. The man who had answered blocked his way, a growl coming out of his throat. Gunn was clutching his arm at that second, trying to draw Xander back. But it was to no avail, as Xander struggled for all that was in him.

 

"Willow!"

 

This time it was more desperate, as he was losing the battle to get into the house. Another growl from the man in the doorway and Xander looked at him closely for the first time. He knew in an instant why Gunn was trying to pull him back. The guy's eyes, they weren't human. They were a tinge of feral, flickering with deeper amber as the seconds went by.

 

But even that didn't matter after the original shock. He pushed forward again, surprising both of the other men. They hadn't been expecting it, Gunn being tossed into the other man in a well calculated move that left Xander relatively unobstructed. He managed to get a foot into the house before he was stopped again.

 

By a gun to the face.

 

He froze, going stone still, wide eyes going to the small brunette holding the gun. Her face was a mask, a deadly one at that. And the hand holding the gun never wavered. She looked well and prepared to kill him.

 

He froze, for the first time thinking over his situation. He tried to work his mouth, to make himself say any other than Willow's name. Something along the lines of 'please don't shoot me'. 

 

But it wouldn't happen, his mouth incapable of actually forming the words. So they just stood there, him slackjawed as she waved a gun at him. He knew this was a very bad situation.

 

But then it happened again, and he didn't care.

 

"Xander!"

 

*****

 

It was his voice. 

 

She knew that, he was her best friend, since the sandbox as he liked to say. She would recognize his voice anywhere, it was that right blend of adult and kid, all in one. Deep and caring, so full of emotion even when he was just enquiring if someone was home. It was him, it was Xander. But what would he be doing here? Maybe she had just imagined it-

 

"Willow!"

 

Nope, no imagination here. Her heart felt like it was going up her throat. It was him, it was her Xander. She had heard her name being called out, loud and clear. She knew it was real because the shifters had tensed up alongside her when it happened. She could almost see the curosity on their faces, but she couldn't bother with that.

 

 

He was here, Xander was here. And it sounded like he was having trouble getting into the house.

 

"It's Xander," she managed to whisper, frantically pushing at Jason and Nathaniel's hands. "It's my Xander."

 

"You don't know that for sure," Jason muttered, trying to pull her back into the room. "Let Anita deal with it-"

 

"Anita deals with things by shooting them!" she hissed at the werewolf. And then she was thrown into a blind panic. Anita better not shoot her Xander. If the sex-feeding thing hadn't put an barrier in their relationship, than this definitely would. No one hurt her best friend.

 

"She's got you there," Nathaniel murmured, bringing her out of her thoughts. She nodded gratefully, turning when the voice rang out again.

 

"Willow!"

 

She turned pleading eyes on them, and Jason just couldn't bear the need in them. Tears were already threatening there, and he couldn't be the one responsible for them falling. He let her go, following close behind her as she all but fled from the room.

 

"Xander!"

 

The cry came from her once more, when she saw the predicament he was in. The Executioner had a gun pointed at her bosom buddy, a situation she was less than happy with. Anita froze at the sound of her voice, dark eyes shooting the approaching redhead a look.

 

"Willow, you shouldn't-"

 

She didn't care, pushing past the woman without a second glance. All she could see was him. He looked pale and withdrawn, like he had been through hell. She knew it was all because of her and her heart went out to the man she loved so. His hair was more unkempt than usual, falling almost lifelessly around his forehead. And his face, oh his face! His chin was doing that dribbling thing that it did when he was unsure of what to do. But it was all gone in that one second when he saw her.

 

And then she was up, flying into his open arms. She clung to him like a lifeline, crying unabashedly when his arms went around her. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, unbelieving that he was really here.

 

"It's you," she cried, tone full of emotion. "It's you and you're here."

 

"Right back at you," he murmured, tears running down his own cheeks. "Gave us the scare you did Wills. From now on, no leaving my sight. Ever! That includes bathroom breaks."

 

She laughed through her tears, shaking her head at his antics.

 

"I'm not joking," he told her, tone quite serious. She only laughed harder, clinging to him even more than before. Had it only been about four days? Maybe five? What did it matter? She had been apart from him for far too long and it was starting to catch up to her. She wasn't going to let him go, not for a few hours at the least. It was him, it was her Xander.

 

The sound of a throat clearing brought her back to reality faster than she would have liked. She withdrew her face from Xander's neck, seeing Anita looking between the two of them with a smirk on her face.

 

"You two know each other?"


	17. Chapter 17  Ripper's Come Out To Play

Wesley twitched a bit, looking nervously between Giles and the other occupants in the room. The tension was thick in the air and the former Watcher was very concerned that something bad was going to happen. His fear was tangible, right on the tip of his tongue. And despite the fact that the other three men in the room were powerful lycanthropes, it was Giles that was causing most of his fear.

 

Oh rather, Ripper was. Oh yes, he knew the difference between Mr. Giles and that of Ripper. Giles was a respectable young Watcher, with a good head on his shoulders. He was reasonable, cautious, and able to think things through. Ripper was rash, abrasive, and had one very short fuse. Giles only let Ripper out when something really got to him, like the welfare of one of his students. Although Miss Rosenburg was no longer technically his student, for Giles, she was his protege. Without a doubt, Willow was like a daughter to this man, and she had been missing for five days. The Master of the City should have had her, but he didn't. And as of now, Giles had had it.

 

And so, Ripper was out in full force. Too bad Wesley hadn't realized that before they had left the hotel, or Giles would have been forced to stay behind. No, this only became evident to him on the way to Mr. Zeeman's house. And by then, there was no way to turn him back.

 

The trip had started off badly. Giles had no semblence of calm what-so-ever. The minute the door had been opened, the Watcher was demanding to know where Willow was. After blurting out that they knew that Mr. Zeeman was the Ulfric and not just a junior high teacher, Giles had proceeded to drag the Council into the mess of matters. He was with the Watchers' Council and if Mr. Zeeman knew what was good for him and his pack, he would cooperate.

 

Mr. Zeeman, for his part, was taking this all rather well. He had invited them in, allowing them to sit on his living room couch and proceeded to be a good host. Tea and other such things were offered while the Ulfric overlooked Giles's rather enthusiastic attempts at threatening him. Of course, all that went out the window when Giles started to threaten to spill the beans.

 

If only Wesley could have slapped some sense into Giles at that point, but it probably wouldn't have looked bad on their part. Had to appear as if they were a cohesive unit. Smacking Giles for his idiocy would have to wait until they got back to their hotel room.

 

"Where is she?"

 

Wesley sighed, rubbing his forehead in a desperate attempt to ward off the massive headache he was developing. His eyes went to that of Richard Zeeman's, meeting the werewolf's rather unsettling steady gaze full on.

 

"I've already told you, I'm not at liberty to say."

 

Great. That was the standard response from this man. Wesley wondered if there was anything this man was at liberty to say. Wasn't he the Ulfric? Didn't he have any power at all? Didn't he realize angering Giles further was going to end in a horrible mess? Giles was a Watcher damnit! If anyone would know how to destroy a supernatural creature like Richard, it would be a Watcher. As well with Ripper out in full force, Giles was likely to use that knowledge to his full advantage.

 

"You know, I've about had it up to here with all this delaying and other bullshit."

 

Uh-oh, Ripper sounded a bit angry.

 

Wesley watched with trepidation as Giles leaned forward, his eyes locked with that of Richard's.

 

"I am not some foolish human who happened to stumble upon your identity," Giles revealed in a low, dangerous tone. "I am a Watcher, and despite the title, I am not limited to watching. Now, you may not believe this, but I have at my power, the ability to make your life a living hell. Unless you want your pack exposed and in shambles, along with some hefty and creative police charges brought up against all of you, I suggest that you start talking."

 

Richard didn't even flinch. There was low growling coming from the bodyguards at his back, but the Ulfric himself didn't react much to the threat. Instead of growling or snapping, he just tilted his head so, looking at Giles intently.

 

"Are you her father?" he asked simply. "Because I'm picking up on some fatherly vibes."

 

"He is the closest thing she has to one," Wesley piped up quickly, sending Giles a silencing glare. "And I do apologize for the threats and imposition. We're not going to expose any of you or destroy your pack. We just want our friend back. We've been frantic for days, putting up with a lot of diplomatic bullshit on Jean-Claude's end just to determine whether or not she was even still alive. So, please. Do you know where she is?"

 

Richard was regarding him thoughtfully after that spill, chin resting in his hand.

 

"She is safe," he finally answered. "I can tell you that much. She is with friends, people who want to help her."

 

"We want to help her," Giles snarled. "We want to take her home-"

 

"It's gone far beyond that now," Richard interrupted quietly. "I understand she is important to you, any fool could see that much. And that's why I haven't ripped your throat out yet for not only discovering who I am, but also for threatening me and mine. But you're a smart man, you have to have realized that it's gone beyond that by now."

 

Giles closed his eyes, deflating almost immediately. In one wave, Ripper was gone and there was only Rupert Giles once more. And he looked tired, tired and sad.

 

"How many?" he croaked out. Richard frowned, exchanging a look with his bodyguards.

 

"You don't-"

 

The sound of the phone ringing cut him off. Richard nodded slightly to his wolves, the one on the left going to answer it. Richard watched him intently, perking up when he came back to whisper something into his ear. The Ulfric nodded again, and then stood up, signalling Giles and Wesley to follow suit.

 

"That was Anita," he explained. "I'm sure I don't have to explain who she is."

 

Wesley shook his head.

 

"Well, apparently your friends showed up there," Richard continued, making the way to his door. "And Anita has deemed you all safe."

 

"Meaning?"

 

"Meaning, you're getting your wish Mr. Giles. We're going to see Willow."

 

*****

 

"How many?"

 

Willow sighed, leaning her head against Xander's chest. The redhead was quite content to be curled up in his lap, especially since Xander showed no signs of letting her out of his arms. It had been amusing when he carried her to the living room once Micah suggested they all take a seat. He had been serious when he had spoken before, she wasn't leaving his sight from now on. Though she was curious to see how far he would take it. relief and joy to see Xander aside, she wasn't having him tag along on bathroom breaks.

 

"Xander, not right now," she moaned, answering his question for the first time. "I don't want to have to go through it twice when Giles and Wesley get here."

 

"But-"

 

"Xander," she cut him off with a look. "You have to wait."

 

He pouted and then nodded.

 

"That means I'm not going to like the answer," he surmised, a dark look passing over his features. "And that probably means I'm not going to be able to kill this Asher bastard."

 

"Damn," Gunn sighed, flexing his arm a bit. "I was looking forward to some killing."

 

"Enough you two," Willow chastised them, seeing the look of fear pass in Nathaniel's 

eyes and the way Anita reached for her gun. She sent all the gathered shifters a reassuring smile.

 

"They're just joking," she informed.

 

"Are not," Xander snorted, angry look coming to his face. "And I'll have you know, just because I can't kill him doesn't mean he gets off scot free. Angel gave me some tips on how to properly use a chainsaw before we left. I plan on utilizing all those tips."

 

"Even if it hurts Willow?" Micah countered. Gunn gave an aggravated grunt, shooting Anita a death glare.

 

"We can't even hurt him without hurting Red?" he all but snarled. "But that means the jerk gets off scot-free! That ain't cool!"

 

Anita shrugged her shoulders helplessly while Jason chose to speak up for the first time.

 

"Well, I think that you could get in a few licks without hurting Willow," the werewolf mused. "You know, as long as it isn't too damaging or whatever."

 

"Do not give them ideas!" Willow hissed disapprovingly at the werewolf before returning her attention to her friends.

 

"How's everyone at home?" she asked quietly, looking Xander right in the eye. "How's Anya?"

 

"Bruised, but okay," he replied. "Which reminds me, my girl has a ring of blue marks around her neck and an injured throat. Yet another thing Evil Deadboy has to pay for."

 

"We could do something to his vocal cords, couldn't we?" Gunn piped up hopefully. "Because it's not like he needs to breathe or anything. And it shouldn't hurt Red if he couldn't talk."

 

"It would probably help a lot," Willow muttered under her breath before sobering. "No violence, and I mean it guys. He's not like the vamps we usually face. They're a lot different than we all thought. He's got powers and stuff."

 

"But I have an axe," Gunn countered stubbornly.

 

"And I have a chainsaw," Xander added with a grin. Anita paled, looking between the two.

 

"You don't mean here, do you?" the Executioner asked, hand making the trip slowly back up to her gun.

 

"Well, not here," Xander shrugged. "But we've got them, that's for sure. We've got plans for Asher, trust me on that."

 

Willow sighed, dropping her hand to pet Nathaniel who had taken the seat on the floor just beside her and Xander.

 

"You're really insistent on making this difficult, aren't you?" she bemoaned. This only earned her a grin from Xander, along wtih an affectionate kiss on the cheek.

 

"Do I know any other way?"


	18. Chapter 18  The Scooby Perspective

"Let me get this straight. You negotiated with him? We're the Scooby Gang! We don't negotiate! We decapitate!"

 

Willow sighed, turning to Giles for some sort of support. But Giles had the same disapproving look in his eyes as Xander did. Great, no help there.

 

Exasperated, she let her green eyes travel over Anita's living room. She looked at Anita, surrounded by Micah and some other leopards that had wandered home in this time. Nathaniel was still at Willow's feet, not saying much but regarding everything in his wide-eyed fashion. Jason was gone, having headed back to the Circus in anticipation for Jean-Claude's awakening. Richard stepped in with the werewolf presence, with Jamil and Shang-Da with him. Most of the shifters were silently observing everything, including the argument that was currently going on. 

 

Her friends didn't like the notion of her haggling over her life with Asher. And Xander in particular didn't like the results of aforementioned haggling. Giles, well, he just didn't like the whole prospect. She could tell, his eyes were doing that flashing thing that always happened before he gave a lecture.

 

"You negotiated with him?" Giles repeated, his rather heated voice shutting even Xander up. "Willow, you shouldn't have said or done a thing! Didn't you realize we were on the way? The Council-"

 

"Has no real influence in this," Willow finished for him, with a roll of her eyes. "Don't you get it Giles? This is over our heads, unlike anything we've ever dealt with before. Your Council can threaten his Council all they want, it doesn't make a difference in the end. He gave me three of the marks, there's no going back now."

 

She heard Xander curse under his breath, but decided to ignore him for the time being. Giles had gone still, face set angrily so she knew that he agreed with everything she said. This was beyond Giles's realm of healing. The Watcher couldn't make this right, no matter how hard he tried.

 

"Negotiating with Asher was the best option at the time," Anita spoke up, disliking the tense silence that had fallen over her living room. Not for the first time did the Executioner wonder why it was always her house that held these sort of meetings, knowing that someone was going to blow a fuse and eventually break something of hers.

 

"It's the best deal for Willow," she continued, staring back at Giles when the man turned his frown on her. "In light of everything that's happened to her, she couldn't be in a better place. And you have the satisfaction of knowing that Asher didn't get exactly what he wanted."

 

"But it raises the question, how do we punish him?" Wesley broke in softly. "There is no doubt that we must Miss Blake. The Watchers' Council cannot let such an attack go without retribution. Your Mr. Asher struck against the Slayer, in direct defiance with the understanding his race of vampires has with the Council. If they let it go unpunished, what's to stop the next vampire like him going after the blood of the Slayer? An example must be made."

 

"But without the expense of hurting Willow," Giles grounded out, burying his head in his hands. "You don't understand how difficult this is for us. Wesley is right, if we don't strike back, it makes us look weak. And as soon as the Council looks weak, the Slayer is in jeopardy."

 

"But again, we can't hurt Willow," Xander repeated, pulling the redhead into his embrace. "There is no way we're letting anything more happen to her. And despite all that, Asher has to pay for this. You get that, don't you?"

 

Anita nodded, knowing from experience how politics and image were closely linked together. Looking weak in supernatural circles only led to death and destruction for those showing weakness. Only the strong and strict could survive in their world.

 

"We need to know if there is some way to strike back," Giles's voice interrupted her thoughts once more. She raised her eyes, staring at the man incredulously.

 

"You want my help on how to punish Asher?" she shook her head. "Are you insane? Don't you know that I'm Jean-Claude's human servant? I can't go up against him like that either!"

 

"But you are the Executioner," Wesley interrupted hotly. "You have a duty to protect and avenge the human victims of vampires, whether they be living or dead. You're not all that different from a Slayer, though you lack the whole Chosen situation. You're job is to help wtih these sorts of things. And I suspect you would be the only one with enough knowledge of this particular vampire that would let us know how we can strike against him without hurting Willow."

 

"All that may be true, but you forget one thing," Anita glared at both men. "Asher, though very wrong in this case, is still my friend. I care for him, and I'm not going to help you figure out a way to hurt him."

 

"Then will you at least stay out of the way?"

 

This question came from Gunn, the man reclining easily in the armchair next to Xander. His eyes met hers, and she the determination there. This man didn't care what it would take, he was going to get Asher for this. It wasn't so much about Willow herself, because she could tell the man barely knew her, but it was the notion of duty that Wesley had brought up. Gunn felt a duty to carry this out, and he wasn't stopping until it was finished. No matter who stood in his way.

 

"You aren't answering," Xander snapped, bringing her out of her thoughts. The young man leaned forward, dark eyes flashing dangerously.

 

"Are you going to stay out of it, or do we have to take Willow out of here?" he demanded, grip tightening on the silent redhead. "And think hard on it Anita. Any harm to you wouldn't do a damn thing to Willow. Stand in our way, and you'll find out why we're so damn effective at what we do."

 

"Xander!" Willow squeaked, pulling on his shoulder in order to glare at him. She couldn't believe that he was threatening Anita. Didn't she explain to them that Anita had helped her out, a lot? Same goes for Richard. But her friends didn't seem to care.

 

"You guys are getting too strung out over this," she hissed, including Giles in her glare. "You are not, repeat not, going to do anything to Anita. I owe her a lot-"

 

"And we owe it to others, not just you, to see Asher punished," Giles interrupted. "This is more than just vengeance for whatever Angel and Spike did. Asher has very poor taste in picking his victims, because now he's started something that he cannot begin to finish. Something is going to be done. Personally, I'd like to tie him to a cross and leave him out in the desert to greet the sun, but unfortunately that might have some negative effect on you."

 

Anita gulped at the suggestion, sending a pleading look Richard's way. The Ulfric remained silent, eyes trained on Willow instead of the others, ignoring the growlings coming from Shang-Da and Jamil behind him. The bodyguards didn't like the new arrivals, thought they were too dangerous to have around. Anita was starting to agree with them.

 

"Oh joy," Willow deadpanned, sending Giles a dark look. "Ripper's come out to play. Have I mentioned lately how much I did NOT miss him?"

 

"Well, that's too bad Willow," Giles returned evenly. "Because in a situation like this, Ripper is a good guy to have around."

 

"Plus, he's really intimidating," Xander put in. "And we'll need that around the powerful Master Vamps, considering how we don't have Buffy here to do that for us."

 

"Did you ever think that they would allow her in the city?" Willow grumbled. "They may be rash, but they aren't stupid. At least, not stupid enough to let an angry Slayer into their city."

 

"But stupid enough to piss her off in the first place," Gunn added with a smirk. Willow rolled her eyes, nodding her head in consent.

 

"What kind of punishment are you looking at?" Richard spoke suddenly. "Physical, emotional, mental, what?"

 

"Physical," Xander replied immediately. "Physical with a chainsaw."

 

"You are not using that chainsaw!" Willow hissed at him. The two began their own whispered argument, one that the others in the room ignored. In the end, it was Giles who answered Richard's question, a thoughtful look on his face.

 

"We'll take whatever we can get."

 

*****

 

The sun had set and he woke up knowing that his human servant had had quite the day. Her emotions had filtered into his subconscious and he now lay in his coffin, going over him.

 

She had sex with Nathaniel, and he didn't like that one bit. Only the threat of retribution from Anita stopped him from heading over there to rip out the throat of the wereleopard that dared to touch what was his. Of course, he had issues with Anita as well, stemming from the fact that she had fed from Willow. Accident or not, feeding from someone's human servant without permission was an insult.

 

And so, he had those issues to deal with, though he knew that they would be taking a backseat to the other ones heading his way. 

 

Willow's friends had discovered her, and he didn't need his connection with her to know they were angry. He could only ponder over what they planned to do to him, secure only in the fact that they could not kill him because of Willow. But they could do other things to him without risk to his redhead.

 

Unconsciously, his hand went up and traveled lightly over the scars on his face. Yes, when properly motivated, humans could do much damage to his kind.

 

He rose, banishing all thoughts of his past torture from his mind. He knew that the idea of hurting him was bringing conflict to his redhead. She wanted him to suffer for what he had done, but a part of her couldn't bare the idea of his suffering. My how the marks changed people. She would fight them for his sake, all the while loathing the obligation she felt for doing it. There were some interesting days ahead.

 

A knock from the door drew his attention. He opened it, brushing past the shifter waiting there with a message. He didn't need to know what it was, he could guess as much. Jean-Claude wanted to talk to him about the latest developments, to discuss some sort of strategy. An angry Watcher would soon be on his way over, and that was not good news for the Master of the City.

 

"Oui?" he questioned, settling into the couch in Jean-Claude's office as soon as he had entered it. His eyes fell on Jason in the corner, the werewolf rubbing his neck tenderly. Jean-Claude had been a bit more rough than necessary with the werewolf since his failure to keep Willow in the Circus, but not overly so because Anita had been involved. Nevertheless, the wolf knew he was being mildy punished, and had a suitably chastised look on his face.

 

"Jason tells me that many more people have congregated at Anita's home," Jean-Claude began, settling down behind his desk, blue eyes never leaving Asher's. "There are four very angry and outraged gentlemen there at the moment, ones interesting in harming you."

 

"We knew it would happen," Asher shrugged. "So why worry on it? They will come, we allowed them into the city, non? Why should we fear their coming?"

 

"Something is going to happen mon ami," Jean-Claude warned him. "Something bad is going to happen to you. These are very determined men, and I think we may have underestimated the anger of the Watchers on this matter."

 

"What could they do to me?" Asher asked in return. "They cannot kill me, out of fear of harming Willow. Will they attack me physically without the intent to kill? Let them. I am already horribly disfigured, what is a few more scars?"

 

"You are too flippant in this manner," Jean-Claude growled. "We are facing a serious crisis here Asher. They will not rest until they feel this is paid back. And I doubt they will leave your redhead here on her own. And even if they do, how long before the Slayer just barrels her way into the city? I refused her visit this time, but with the lovely Willow remaining here, there is not much I can do to keep her away forever. And when she comes here, the whole lot of us will be in danger of her wrath."

 

"We will deal with the Slayer when the problem comes," Asher waved off. "For now, let us focus on these new arrivals. They want to punish me? Very well, let them have their try at it. I have told you before mon ami, there is not much left in this world that can affect me. I have survived torture before, I will so again."

 

Jean-Claude shook his head, taking his eyes off his old friend.

 

"I worry for you."

 

"Don't," Asher snapped. "Worry not for me, because I do not fear whatever is to come. I have had my revenge, there is nothing that can take that pleasure away from me."

 

Jean-Claude sighed, fixing his stare on the silent Jason in the corner.

 

"They will be here soon," the Master of the City stated calmly. 

Asher felt a smirk curve his lips as he sat back into the couch.

 

"As I said before, let them come. I'm looking forward to it."


	19. Chapter 19  Threats, Promises, And A Few More Interesting Situations

They didn't bring Willow with them.

 

Of course, he never expected them to do such a thing. They would rather enjoy it if they could take Willow away from him forever. However, that was no longer an option in their situation.

 

But he will admit he was disappointed at her absence. He would not lie, he had a desire in his heart to see the redhead. She was his human servant, their bond was strong, pulling on all of him. And he still had many things to discuss with her. The most pertinent of matters being her tryst with Nathaniel this morning. He wasn't happy with that turn of events. Hadn't she learned by now? She was his, forever and always. She could not turn to others, even when affected by the ardeur. He wouldn't allow it.

 

But Willow was not here, so there was no point in him dwelling on such matters. They could wait until he met his human servant face to face once more. First, he had to deal with her self-pointed protectors.

 

A smirk lifted the corners of his mouth when Anita led them into Jean Claude's sitting room. There were three of them, two young men with an older man along with them. The older man seemed enraged by Asher's very presence, stiffening and tensing for a fight immediately. 

 

Only the hand of one of the younger men on his arm stopped him from doing anything.

 

He watched in amusement from the corner of the room as the three men were directed to the couches. Only the older man and the younger man restraining him sat down. The third dark-skinned man remained standing, arms folded across his chest as he glared certain death in Asher's direction, but wisely kept his eyes diverted. Interesting, this one seemed to have had some experience with his kind of vampire. And here he thought that the Hellmouth and its citizens were devoid of that experience.

 

"Well, I would welcome you to my Circus, but I have a feeling you would rebuke such a greeting."

 

Jean-Claude had entered the room, making his way across the room to seat himself behind his desk. Asher moved so that he was standing beside the desk, but still covered in shadows. He felt all three pairs of eyes following his movements and suppressed the urge to laugh in delight.

 

"You are quite full of yourself," came the biting reply from the older man. "You don't realize how far this has gone, do you?"

 

Jean-Claude sighed, reclining in his chair almost lazily. A dazzling smile was sent across the room, a flash of fangs accompanying it.

 

"Jean-Claude," came the warning from Anita. The Master of the City paid his human servant no heed, instead levelling his gaze towards the older man.

 

"Perhaps introductions are in order," he continued. "As you know, I am Jean-Claude, Master of the city of St. Louis. This is Asher, my right-hand of sorts. I see you have met Anita-"

 

"Cut the crap," came the snap from the dark-skinned man. "You know fully well who we are and why we're here. So why don't we get on with it? You undead morons made a very big mistake."

 

"Not too many humans have the audacity to come into my private rooms and insult me to my face," Jean-Claude murmured, his voice carrying an undercurrent of danger. "Most know better."

 

"I'm not most," the man retorted. "And I ain't scared of you. You're in deep enough shit as it is. Tell me, have you even told your right-hand how many calls you've been fielding because of all of this?"

 

Asher stiffened, sending a look towards Jean-Claude. He had told Asher everything, did he not? But from the way that Jean-Claude had set his jaw, maybe this human had said something truthful.

 

"Jean-Claude?" 

 

But Jean-Claude was not even looking his way. No, his eyes had not yet left the figure of the older man.

 

"Mr. Giles," Jean-Claude began. "Perhaps you would be so kind as to get your associate under some control? His attitude is not appreciated."

 

"I don't give a rat's arse what you appreciate-"

 

"Gunn, restrain yourself," this came the younger man next to Mr. Giles. "And Giles, get yourself under control. If neither of you can handle this, please step outside and I will see this discussion through on my own."

 

"Wise advice Mr. Price," Jean-Claude grinned, folding his hands in front of him. "Now, should we get on with the threats? I'm sure you have quite a few."

 

"It is not reversible," Asher chose to point out. "There is nothing that will reverse it. Willow will stay here, near me."

 

"You think you've gotten away with it, don't you?" Mr. Price shook his head. "You haven't the slightest idea what is going on outside your little city, do you? There are many forces at work here Mr. Asher, and they are all focused against you. You crossed a line, one that most vampires have the common sense not to even venture near. I sincerely hope that your revenge was worth it."

 

"It was," Asher murmured, sinister smile coming to his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Anita's face fall that his words. Poor Anita, stuck between her morals and her loved ones.

 

"You little bastard!" Mr. Giles hissed. "You completely ruined her life! Do you even know the potential she had? The future she had? You ripped it away, and you're damn stupid to think that I won't get you for that!"

 

"Giles, calm yourself," Mr. Price hissed. But he was ignored as Giles leveled a finger Asher's way.

 

"Too close to a Slayer, you understand, to close for comfort. The Council, both of them, have given me free reign to punish you and yours as I see fit," he revealed. "And that means, by the time I am through with you and your Master, there won't be enough of you left to enjoy your revenge. You really should have chosen your victim better. There are no words to describe what I am going to do to you."

 

Free reign? By both councils? This was news to him, but Asher kept his surprise off his face. Anita stepped forward, presumably to have word to Mr. Giles about his threats, and they commenced a silent argument. Jean-Claude was oddly silent, face betraying nothing. But Asher knew enough of his friend to know that everything Giles had said was true.

 

Well, didn't that make things more interesting?

 

*****

 

"Where on earth did you get these things?"

 

Willow stifled a giggle at the look on Xander's face as he shuffled through the clothes Jason had brought for her. But she knew well enough that giggling at this time would only encourage him. And right now, she did not want to encourage Xander.

 

"Xander," she bemoaned, sitting down heavily on her borrowed bed. "What are you doing?"

 

"I think it's obvious," her best friend replied, busily shoving her things into a duffel bag. "I'm packing up your things."

 

"And why are you doing that?"

 

"Because you're coming home soon," he shrugged. "I figured that you might as well get a head start on-"

 

"Xander," her voice held a firm tone to it this time. "Stop it."

 

"Stop what?" he murmured, ignoring her face for the moment. Willow sighed, bringing her hand down on his to stop his movements.

 

"Stop acting like everything can just go back to normal," she ordered firmly. "You and I both know there's no way that can happen. Not now."

 

"How come?" he snapped, taking his hand away from hers. "Just because you negotiated with him? Well, you know my stance on that whole affair Wills-"

 

"Xander, we're bonded," she pleaded with him. "I don't like it, but its happened, and we have got to deal with that. This whole human servant thing, it goes beyond anything we've ever encountered before. No magic will just make it go away. We have to deal with it."

 

"Then we can deal with it in Sunnydale," Xander surmised, resuming his packing. "It'll be great. Everyone's real frantic to see you-"

 

"Xander," she was almost near tears. "Don't do this."

 

"Do what?"

 

"I'm not leaving St. Louis," she whispered. "You know I can't."

 

"No, I don't," he snapped. "You don't know that either. Let's just get everything together so we can leave tomorrow-"

 

"Xander, I can't go!" she was shrieking at this point. "I can't be that far away from him. There would be no point. He would just find me and bring me home, wherever I go."

 

"We've got a Slayer and two old vampires," Xander shrugged. "Let him come. We'll be prepared for him this time."

 

"Xander, try to understand me," Willow shook her head. "I can't leave him. I CAN'T. It's like changed me, inside. I can't be that far from him. It hurts now that he isn't here-"

 

"You want to be near him?" Xander repeated, eyes wide. "Willow, how can you say-"

 

"Xander!" she was starting to get more than fed up with her friend. "I don't want it. I need it. The whole bond thing makes me need it. You don't understand how it feels. I hate him, you know that, right? I hate him, but I need him! It's so frustrating, I just want to bash my head in or something! You don't know how horrible it feels inside to need him. You just don't know!"

 

There. She had said it. Given voice to all those feelings inside her. Xander was looking might ashamed, and she felt for him. It wasn't his fault all this was happening. And it certainly wasn't his fault all these emotions were flooding through her. But he wasn't helping matters much by trying to force things to go back to normal. Things couldn't go back to normal. They were all mixed up and not normal anymore.

 

"Wills," he was fumbling for the words, failing to come up with them. Instead, his arms just went around her and he began to rock her back and forth. She clung to him, glad that she wasn't crying. Crying wouldn't make any of this any better, just make her feel worse. Besides, she had cried her eyes out over all this already. She didn't want to regress.

 

"It's not your fault," she murmured finally. "It's not my fault. Only one person is to blame here, and we both know who that is. Unfortunately, he's got himself a pretty good Willowly shaped shield to hide behind. And don't think that I don't want you to kick his ass. Hell, I've been wanting to kill or maim him ever since that first night. But we can't let our anger lead our actions. It's not going to get us anywhere, and I personally don't want to feel any side effects of torturing the bastard. We're just going to have to wait this out, to see what we can do. But you're going to have to understand that for the time being, I'm stuck here."

 

"Don't like it," he muttered in her hair. "In fact, I'm hating it with unbridled passion at this very moment."

 

She giggled at that, giving him a playful punch in his shoulder.

 

"I would expect nothing else," she told him, serious expression washing over her features. 

 

"But you're going to have to put your chainsaw and travel plans on hold for a little while. We can't just hack at something and hope it'll make everything better. We're actually going to have to have some patience for once."

 

Xander made a face, pouting slightly.

 

"That sucks."


	20. Chapter 20  Can Everyone Say 'Tense'?

"But you just got here."

 

Giles sighed, shutting his eyes briefly before opening to regard the redhead in front of him. Willow was looking at him straight on, though he could see the fear and loneliness threatening in the depths of her green eyes. Not for the first, or the last time, Giles found himself cursing that damn vampire. Asher was certainly going to pay for doing this to Willow.

 

"I know I just got here," he finally replied, stepping forward and enveloping the girl into a hug. Willow held him tightly, eyes closing as she tried to bury her head in his chest. Giles shook his head slightly, looking out the narrow slit of the doorway and into the hallway. They were back at Anita's house, the Executioner quick to shuffle them there before he had succeeding in angering Jean-Claude or Asher any more than he had already. And now, the sun was rising and Giles was preparing to make his way back to Sunnydale.

 

Without Willow.

 

"But I just don't want you to go," she muttered tearfully. "I like having you around. It makes me feel better, even if you're acting more like Ripper as the moments tick by."

 

"I do apologize for that," Giles murmured. "But I feel there are certain times when Ripper is the only one who can deal with these things."

 

"Well, he's doing a spectacular job," Willow retorted sarcastically. Giles gave a short laugh, trying to school his features into a mask of indignation.

 

"Respect your elders young lady," he reprimanded her slightly. Willow just shook her head, giving him another tight hug. Giles returned it fiercely, blinking rapidly to stave off the tears that were always threatening. Imagine, her whole life, everything she could have done-it was all wasted because of one damn vampire.

 

"But there are things that need to be done," he continued after a bit of silence. "We can't just let this go Willow. He has to know, the whole vampire world has to know, you do not meddle with those close to the Slayer. Otherwise, we might have these vampires descending on us more rapidly than before. The Council must make its mark."

 

"But can't you make the mark here?" Willow asked tearfully. "You know, real close to me so I won't have to be here alone."

 

"Oh Willow," he chuckled softly, pulling back to grace her with a smile. "You're not going to be alone. Mr. Gunn has been kind enough to stay behind and watch over you while Wesley and I are gone. And as for Xander, well, we just can't get him to leave."

 

Willow gave a short laugh at that, giving Giles a wane smile.

 

"Well, I don't think leaving Xander here will be such a good idea," she murmured. "He's bound to offend somebody, and knowing his luck, it'll probably be Jean-Claude or one of the shifter alphas. He'll have a hit on his head by the end of the week."

 

"Then I suppose I should hurry along," he kidded with her. "And get back in enough time to save his sorry behind. Normally I wouldn't, but Anya does seem rather attached to him. Best to keep my business partner happy."

 

"And that if you don't, she'll use some of the stuff at the Magic Shop to get back at you," Willow interjected. Giles frowned, trying to give her a dignified look but failing as he fell into a smile.

 

"There is that," he muttered reluctantly. "Either way, I should be back in time to save him from getting into too much trouble. Until then, the job falls to Mr. Gunn and Miss Blake."

 

"Why Anita?" Willow asked curiously. Giles smiled.

 

"It seems she likes Xander's wit," he shrugged. "Something about finally finding someone who understands. I suppose that means she's about as smart-mouthed as our dear boy."

 

"There is no one as smart-mouthed as our boy," Willow interjected with a giggle. "It's like his favourite pastime, so he's real good at it."

 

"Yes, but I'm sure Miss Blake has had just about the same amount of practice," Giles replied with a chuckle. "She does seem to have a bit of a habit of getting herself into impossible situations."

 

Willow just gave the man a look, rolling her eyes briefly.

 

"Look who's talking."

 

*****

 

"This is trouble mon ami."

 

Asher sighed, resisting the urge to roll his eyes before turning to face Jean-Claude.

 

"Must we do this now?" the blonde vampire asked sullenly. "I wish to retire. It has been a most interesting night."

 

"We have things to discuss," Jean-Claude cut him off sternly. "You heard what Mr. Giles has to say. He is coming after you Asher. And he does not seem like one to pull his punches, as Anita says. We might be in over our heads."

 

"What's the worse he could do?" Asher scoffed. "I'm linked closely to the precious Willow. Any harm to my person would be just has harmful to her."

 

"And though that applies to physical torture, the Watchers' have more than that to offer," Jean-Claude reminded him. "That Council has existed since before our own. They know magic and secrets that we do not even know exist. If he comes for you mon ami, it will be disastrous for you."

 

"But it will not change a thing in the end," Asher countered. "She is still mine, and she will always be mine. We're one Jean-Claude, you know that. He knows that. There is nothing to be done about it."

 

"While that may be, that does not make you safe from him," Jean-Claude looked weary for a second. "Just watch yourself Asher. They will come looking for vengeance. And I have a feeling that it will be just as devastating as yours."

 

"Well, I suppose I do deserve it somewhat," the vampire mused with a dangerous smirk. "Either way, it should be fun to see what they come up with."

 

"This is not a game Asher," Jean-Claude reprimanded. "Nor is it a contest to see which revenge is better-"

 

"Isn't it?" Asher interrupted with a glare. "Isn't it all about how much damage we do to our enemies, without any real damage to ourselves? Isn't it all about taking it to that higher level?"

 

"It's become about something much more than that," Jean-Claude sighed. "We are looking at hard times mon ami. And I do not believe we can rely on Anita or any of our allies to get us out of it."

 

"If Anita wishes to turn her back on us for this, let her," Asher sneered. "She should understand. We are vampires; we do these sorts of things."

 

"I don't believe for one second that Anita will turn her back on us," Jean-Claude snapped. "I merely say that I believe it won't matter in the end. Not with whatever they are planning for us. I have this feeling that not even Anita will be able to stop what's coming."

 

"Then we let it come," Asher waved off. "And we'll meet it head on. Then we shall defeat it, as always."

 

"Tread carefully mon ami," Jean-Claude advised him. "For this crime you and I have done to the petite Willow, the aftermath could be much worse than anything William and Angelus have ever done to us."

 

Asher huffed, turning on his heel and marching towards his rooms. Jean-Claude watched him go in fear, wondering what the coming days would bring for him and his friend of so long.

 

The future held many dangers for them all.

 

*****

 

"They say she's fine, if not a little scared."

 

Spike snorted, causing Fred to jump a bit. He rolled his eyes, sending Buffy a glare.

 

"'A little scared?'" he repeated with scorn. "Just a little huh Slayer? You have no idea what you're talking about. The Watcher lies to you. She's can't be a little scared. She must be going out of her mind with terror."

 

"Giles wouldn't-"

 

"He would," Angel sighed, wandering into the kitchen to join the others. He had just left his son upstairs with Lorne and Cordelia. The young Watchers that Giles had brought with him were in the living room, all pattering after books that Giles has requested when he called earlier that night. Fred and the remains of the Scooby Gang were huddled up in the kitchen, desperately doing anything to stave off the worry they felt.

 

"Giles wouldn't want us to get worked up," he continued, accepting the cup of blood Fred offered him with a small smile. "But Spike is right, Willow must be terrified. The sheer amount of changes she's going through right now-"

 

"That nasty little bugger always in her head," Spike cut in with a sneer. Buffy looked alarm, sending Angel a look.

 

"He's in her head?" she repeated incredulously. Angel sighed again, seating himself at the kitchen table in between Anya and Dawn before he answered.

 

"The bond is very strong Buffy," he tried to explain. "They're becoming closer and closer, more linked to one another than they should be. They'll be able to sense the other's presence, sense their thoughts and feelings, and sense if their in danger."

 

"It's like their souls become one," Anya offered helpfully. "There is no line between Willow and Asher anymore."

 

"That's so not what I wanted to hear," Buffy pouted. Spike snorted, sipping his own mug of blood before answering.

 

"It's not about what you want to hear Slayer," he told her snappishly. "It's about reality. And I hate to break it to you love, but you're probably not going to get visiting privileges for a while. Those vamps aren't stupid enough to let you within their city borders."

 

"They can't keep me and Willow apart forever!" Buffy exclaimed angrily. "I won't let them. Hell, I'll go without their damn permission-"

 

"Yeah, that's sound planning," Anya rolled her eyes. "And I was worried about Xander getting himself killed while he's there. Buffy might just beat him too it."

 

"Hey, he's only been gone for about three days," Dawn reminded her. "He still has lots of time to get himself killed."

 

"No one's getting killed," Angel interrupted dryly. "We're all going to handle this maturely. And Buffy, yes, it will take a while before the vampires will consent to you seeing Willow. And while that sucks, know that eventually, they will have to give into Willow's demands of seeing you. I'm willing to bet Giles is just gearing to get the Council involved in that. But right now, they have a right to request that you take some time to calm down. I mean, you're dangerous as it is, but when provoked . . ."

 

"Whatever," Buffy rolled her eyes, leaning against the kitchen counter with a pout on her face. "I want to see Willow. Talking to her just isn't the same."

 

"It'll happen, with time," Angel stressed. "We'll all be able to see Willow sooner or later. But right now, things are still too tense. Giles just delivered a hell of a threat to the Masters of St. Louis. They're probably not too keen on letting any of us into their city until they know what Giles is planning."

 

"What is he planning anyway?" Spike asked curiously. Buffy shrugged her shoulders, tapping her nails speculatively on the countertop.

 

"I'm not too sure," she admitted. "But he said it was going to be good. Of course, that's cleaning it up quite a lot. Giles has been swearing an awful lot since this all happened. It's like he let Ripper out of his cage."

 

Dawn snorted, an unworried expression on her face.

 

"Well, if there was ever a time for Ripper, it's now."


	21. Chapter 21  Back In The Lion's Den

"You're not coming."

 

"Yes I am."

 

"No you're not."

 

"Who's going to stop me?"

 

"Uh, they are."

 

Xander frowned, following Willow's pointing finger to find the whole pard of wereleopards gathered behind him. The man made a face, turning back to his best friend with hurt on his face.

 

"You're letting Gunn go!" he whined, sending the man in question a tiny glare. Willow sighed, rolling her eyes and sharing an exasperated look with Anita.

 

"Gunn is going because I know he can behave himself while he's there," Willow explained again. "And I know for sure that you can't. Now, you're staying in St. Louis for a little while, I get that Xander. But unlike you, I would like to keep you alive for that time. And that means you cannot come to the Circus because you will do something or say something to piss off at least one vampire and most likely end up on the dinner menu for the undead."

 

"Hey, you don't know that for sure!" Xander protested. "I could behave myself."

 

"Xander, you've been trying to bring your chainsaw along," the redhead pointed out. "I just don't trust you not to do or say anything offensive. Besides, it's not like I'm going to be there all night. Trust me when I say that the Circus is the last place on Earth I want to be. But I have to go. I made a deal."

 

"You know how I stand on that," Xander reminded her, trying to hold her glare with one of his own. But he failed, wilting almost immediately under the combined glares of Willow and Anita. The young man sighed, relenting and walking away from the front door and closer to the wereleopards who were watching him this evening.

 

"I don't like you being anywhere near him Willow," he told his friend quietly. Willow sighed, rubbing her forehead tiredly.

 

"I'm not too keen on the idea either Xander, but I have to go," she offered him a weak smile. "I'll be out of there as soon as I can get out. I promise."

 

"Fine," Xander muttered unhappily, gaze going to Gunn. "You're taking your axe, aren't you?"

 

"Damn straight," the man nodded, pulling away the side of his jacket to reveal just a tint of steel. "Don't leave home without it."

 

Willow looked at the weapon and sighed again. She looked to Anita, a forlorn expression on her face.

 

"Neither of them is going to be happy until they have at least one hit on their heads."

 

Anita grinned, patting the redhead reassuringly on the shoulder.

 

"Better them than you, right?"

 

*****

 

The drive over had been less vibrant as the exit. Their departure from Anita's house had gone through with only one last ditch attempt by Xander to get himself invited along. Right now he was seated on Anita's living room couch with Micah and Gregory on either side of him, watching his every move carefully. Xander thought they were overdoing the surveillance to which Willow just snorted. Better to overdo it than have Xander get loose and get himself killed.

 

Once in the car, things ran a bit more smoothly. And Willow wasn't so sure she liked that. Before, fighting with Xander kept her mind off the visit partially. But now, sitting in silence, feeling his presence stronger and stronger with each mile they drove, Willow began to feel just a bit jittery.

 

The old shaking was back in her hands. She shook her left leg a bit, moving nervously about in a vain attempt to ward off thinking about Asher. But it was all in vain because the closer she got, the more she could feel him.

 

And feel his unhappiness.

 

She almost snorted to herself. So what if he was unhappy? The last few days hadn't exactly been fun for her either. If he really wanted to be upset about the whole damn thing, he should look only to himself for blame. This was all his fault, no way around it. He brought everything that Giles was going to do to him down on himself.

 

And Willow was going to enjoy watching it happen.

 

Feelings of closeness or not, she still held a certain amount of hatred for the vampire. He called to her no doubt, but she could still cling to her anger and her resentment. He totally overturned her life, and for what? To repay a hundred year old debt that she had nothing to do with?

 

What a bastard.

 

She was really warming up to her anger now, mentally going back through all the anguish and trauma he had heaped upon her since the night he showed up outside the Magic Box. He hurt her friends; he kidnapped her and took her far away from everything she had ever known and loved; he forced her into this bond that gave him certain sway over life; and finally, he wasn't a bit sorry about the whole damn affair.

 

That's what really got to her. He didn't think he was wrong in the slightest. He completely ruined her life, forcing her to make decisions she didn't want, and he wasn't a damn bit sorry. He felt he was justified because of whatever Spike and Angel had done to him. And despite knowing that it was bad, Willow didn't give a rat's ass about that. Asher was the real villain here, and she knew that for certain.

 

Anita pulled her Jeep quietly into the Circus parking lot. Willow felt her eyes go dark as she looked upon the building. Her anger was out full force and she was really going to let the bastard have it tonight. He was so going to hear about everything single last damn thing he had inflicted upon her, and she was going to make sure that he understood.

 

Willow was never going to fall in line with his plans.

 

*****

 

They had made it into the Circus with no further delay. Jason had shown up, telling Anita that Jean-Claude was asking for her before leading both Gunn and Willow further into the Circus. Willow was going off to see Asher while Jason was no doubt supposed to keep an eye on Gunn.

 

Knowing that the man was in relatively good hands, or at the very least that Jason wasn't one to attack him, Anita wearily made her way to Jean-Claude's office. She knew what was coming, had wondered why it took so long for this to be brought up. Funny, she thought that Asher would be the one to bring this to the front, but no, it was Jean-Claude who got that pleasure. She knew that there would be anger and some sort of retribution demanded-one that she would flat out refuse. It would back down to a stalemate and they would both leave the room unhappier than before.

 

Anita wondered when the battle lines had been drawn between her and her vampires. Was it when she stood up to Jean-Claude and Asher, taking Willow away from the Circus and offering her protection? Or was it before that, when they both went along with a plan that they knew she would contest and try to rectify?

 

She made her way through the hallways, wondering briefly who had the most reason to be angry. Sure Willow was the one who was taking the brunt of this sudden battle between Anita and her vampires, but which side was the most wrong? Had it really gotten to the point where even that wasn't so clear anymore?

 

She found herself before his door suddenly. She looked at it for just a second before raising her hand to knock. An acknowledgement was called out from within the room and Anita let herself in with resignation. Her eyes fell on her vampire lover, seated rather calmly at his desk, watching her make her way to stand before him.

 

"You wanted to talk?" she asked, voice not holding as much attitude as it should have. He only nodded, folding his hands before him and smiling one of his most dangerous smirks.

 

"So, you fed from Asher's human servant. A bad move ma petite. Very bad move."

 

*****

 

The room was dark, only a few candles lighting the way. Most of everything was covered in shadows and she knew it was done on purpose. He liked to hide in shadows, watching her without her knowledge until such a time when he felt he should make his presence known. And then he would step out just enough for her to see his profile, but still moving within the shadows so that they played across his entire body. He was hiding something, he knew that from the way he kept half his face covered. A part of her was curious to know what it was, but his resounding anger at such a thought persuaded her to leave it alone for the time being.

 

She ignored the shadows and creepy setup, deciding once and for all she had had enough of his stupid games. The redhead stomped her way across the room, seating herself on the bed quickly and folding her arms across her chest stubbornly. She might have seemed nothing more than a petulant child with the carefully constructed bored expression she kept on her features. But she refused to move, to change her expression one bit. If he didn't like it, well tough.

 

She wasn't here to please him.

 

She felt rather than saw or heard him move about the room, circling her in an almost predatory fashion. He was trying to psyche her out, keeping silent and moving about continuously until she finally snapped and said something.

 

It was almost working.

 

Her eyes strayed to the corners every now and then, trying to locate his exact location. But she was never quite able to find him, so she let it go. Her nerves were starting to get shaky, but she held firm to her resolve. He wanted this meeting, he would damn well step into the light and explain what he wanted.

 

Finally, it seemed even he tired from this game, coming out of the darkness to perch himself directly behind her on the bed. She tensed dramatically when she felt his fingers brush across her neck, lingering on her pulse point. He gave a throaty laugh, causing shivers to up her spine despite herself.

 

Pleased with himself, he moved his lips to her right ear, finally breaking the silence by whispering to her seductively.

 

"Alone at last."


	22. Chapter 22  Consequences

Willow flinched, just a bit, and then relaxed completely. Her eyes went straight forward, unwavering in the way they locked on the bedroom door. Even though she was shaking inside, she refused to let it show. Refused to talk, refused to acknowlege him. He had her at a disadvantage again, scaring the wits out of her with just one sentence. He probably sensed her fear, maybe even smelled it, so her charade had no real purpose.

 

But still, she wouldn't move or do anything at all. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

 

"Hmm," he whispered, voice seemingly floated over the air and running up and down her arms. She gave an involuntary shiver, gulping deeply as she realized that this was just another one of his powers or whatever. He was pulling out all his little vampiric tricks, just to get her off her game. It was kind of working.

 

"What ever happened to the little mouse that roared?" he continued, tone deceptively low as he began taunting. "Where is the impish little sprite who dare me to bite her? Has she disappeared now that Anita and Monsieur Zeeman are no longer available to defend her?"

 

She bristled ever so slightly, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. He was just trying to rile her up. For whatever reason, she had no idea. Willow thought Asher was all about terrorizing her into submission. So why was he trying to egg her into a fight?

 

"Hmm, nothing to say, even now?" he moved away from her, sliding off the bed smoothly and almost stalking his way to stand in front of her. Cold hands gripped her chin, forcing her face upwards to meet his. Immediately she diverted her eyes from his own, remembering Anita's impromptu lesson on how to deal with these kinds of vampires. There would be no direct looking them into the eyes, not for this redhead. She had a hard enough time dealing with him when she wasn't mesmerized.

 

"What has silenced you so?" he murmured, running a cold finger down her left cheek. "I thought you would be very happy. I was under the assumption you had a very nice visit from your friends. Did that not warm your heart? Lift your spirits? Just after you lifted your skirt?"

 

Her eyes widened. She took in his face the best she could while avoiding his eyes. His mouth was set into a hard line, lips pursed just the slightest bit. She turned away from his face, testing the bond just the slightest bit, sensing his anger pushing on the boundaries. And she did the first thing that came to mind.

 

She laughed.

 

Surprised, he loosened his grip on her chin just enough for her to tear herself out of his grip. The redhead pulled her legs up and rolled across the bed and then got her to feet on the other side. He watched her movements silently, both of them knowing that he could have easily cut her off but chose not to. Willow shook her head, hands on her hips as she glared at his figure.

 

"So this is what this is all about?" she snorted, waving her hands to indicate the candles and the dark lit room. "You set up some scary atmosphere, pull out all your creepy-stalker charm, just so you can yell at me for sleeping with Nathaniel? God, don't you have anything better to do with your time? I mean, aren't you the Second Vamp in charge around here?"

 

"You are my human servant," he snarled, anger rising just a beat. "You belong to me, and I did not give you permission to indulge in anyone else."

 

"So, these marks give you the right to tell me who I can sleep with?" Willow arched one eyebrow. "Wow, did anyone ever tell Anita about that rule? Because she gave me a little lesson in being a human servant and that never came up."

 

"Anita is not the prime example of what a human servant should be by any means," Asher retorted. "Anita does not understand or respect the nature of the bond between herself and Jean-Claude. These things she does so independently weaken him physically and in the eyes of others. I will not allow such a thing to happen to me."

 

"So I'm just supposed to take everything you dish out because you say so?" Willow shook her head. "I thought you would understand after our 'negotiations'; I will not be your slave."

 

"You do not have a choice," he spat back.

 

"I do," Willow retorted, eyes flashing with her own anger. "I could die. Then where would you be?"

 

"You bluff," he sneered. "You could not take your own life."

 

"I could let someone else do it for me," she shrugged. "And then you would weaken physically and whatever kind of protection I cast upon you would be gone and then what would you do? Do you really think that once I'm gone that any sort of decree by Jean-Claude would keep Buffy out of this city and away from the two of you? You'd be dead before within a day. And if you think whatever Spike and Angel did to you in the past was bad, wait until you see how they would get after they see my oh-so-dead body."

 

Taunting powerful vamps wasn't the way to go. In fact, it was the worst thing a human being could do. Willow feared Xander would be the one to say this kind of stuff in front of one of the Masters and get himself killed. Now she was doing the exact thing she had told Xander not to do, and Asher wasn't looking too happy with her right now.

 

But then all his anger was gone, like he just stuffed it back down his throat in one second. A dangerous smirk was thrown her way and Willow felt another shiver of fear make its way down her back.

 

"Do you know why you are here?" he asked her, voice dropping back down to the seductive tone he used before. Willow dropped her eyes, berating herself for feeling all tingly when he pulled out his sexy voice.

 

"Because you're a sociopathic vampire?" she retorted, not putting as much venom in the comback as she should have. He only laughed, a kind of melodic sound that sent a wave of warmth floating over her until she quenched her reaction viciously.

 

"You never did find out what Angelus and William did, did you?" he mused, making his way to the bed and seating himself there leisurely. He tilted his head slightly, giving her an inviting look.

 

"Would you like to find out?"

 

It was a trick, it had to be. This was some sort of trick he was pulling on her. He would feed her nothing but lies, she was sure of it. He would twist things any way he would to make her feel sorry for him, compassionate to him in some way. But he was wrong. She knew that Angel and Spike hadn't always been good guys. In fact, she had suffered through their rather current bouts of being decisively bad guys. She knew that they had done some very bad things in their past.

 

But did she really want to know about them?

 

"Willow?"

 

He was calling her, a taunting edge coming to his voice. She narrowed her eyes, knowing that he was doing this all on purpose. He was tempting her, testing her in some way. Could she stomach hearing what her friends had done?

 

"I bet you've done worse things in your life," she shot back nervously, not answering his question completely. He only shook his head, beckoning her with his hand.

 

"Ma cherie, I think you will find that no one has ever committed a crime worse than what your friends did."

 

*****

 

Anita tried her best not to let loose on Jean-Claude, instead calmly seating herself in front of his desk, a cool expression on her face.

 

"You really want to do this?" she asked him softly. He only shrugged, watching her every move carefully.

 

"This is out of my hands ma petite, you fed from Asher's human servant without his permission-"

 

"This is bullshit!" Anita exploded, her face set into a furious glare. "You know I didn't mean for that to happen. It was the ardeur's fault, which by the way, you gave to me! You want to blame anyone for this, blame yourself!"

 

"That is hardly fair," he replied, voice sullen now. Anita took a deep breath, trying to collect herself once more.

 

"Neither is trying to trick your way out of the deal we made," she sighed, easing back into her chair. "Jean-Claude, I thought we worked this all out. I am not looking forward to years of you trying to undermine me and Richard and get Willow back under your roof."

 

"She is Asher's human servant," Jean-Claude shot back. "He has the right to say where she should live-"

 

"And making her into his human servant means Willow gives up any rights of her own?" Anita retorted with a snort. "You know I don't believe in that kind of crap Jean-Claude, so why are you bothering? What is the real reason for all this?"

 

Jean-Claude was silent, hand idling with some papers on his desk. He spoke again, his voice low.

 

"This Mr. Giles has the permission of both Councils," he reminded her. "He has been given a blank cheque in how to deal with Asher. Now, if he had been some ordinary human, I would not be so concerned. But he is a Watcher, one that has some knowledge of the dark arts as well. I do not know what to expect from him ma petite, only that it has the potential of being disastrous."

 

"Uh-oh," Anita rolled her eyes. "Consequences. Aren't they pesky little things?"

 

"Ma petite-"

 

"I'm sorry Jean-Claude, but what did you expect?" Anita sighed again, face almost crumbling. "You dragged some innocent girl into this whole revenge thing of yours. Now if you had taken it out on those vampires you hated so much, we wouldn't be in this mess. But you picked this girl-not just any girl, but this one. The one with very powerful friends, like the Slayer, like the Watchers' Council. And you knew it. So really, what did you expect would happen?"

 

"Willow is our protection from those people," Jean-Claude retorted. "I did not expect you to deprive us of our saving grace."

 

"Yeah, I should have just left the terrified girl in your care," Anita rolled her eyes. "You knew, just like you knew with these Watcher guys, that this would piss me off. I did what I thought was best and luckily no one died this time."

 

"Anita," the way he said her name forced her to stop. She looked up at him, a tired expression on her face.

 

"What?"

 

"There are bad times coming. Very bad times. And I need that girl in my care if I have any hope of Asher coming out of this intact."

 

"Willow goes where she wants," Anita insisted, force in her voice. Jean-Claude said nothing, squeezing his hand into a fist as he avoided looking at her.

 

"I guess we have a problem then."


	23. Chapter 23  The Build Up

Gunn brought home two very sullen ladies that night.

 

No one was quite sure what had happened that night at the Circus, only knowing that it changed something somehow. For weeks after the fact, both Anita and Willow were quiet and withdrawn, the redhead herself looking just about miserable every second of the day. Xander had been trying to help, though his reaction to her visits with Asher were not exactly what Willow needed at the moment.

 

An example of this was that first night, when Willow came trudging in through Anita's front door, a look of utter exhaustion on her face. Xander had been quick to jump off the couch where he had been confined for the better part of the evening and made his way to his best friend. He noticed her fatigued look, and something else in her eyes. He was going to ask her what the problem was when his eyes fell on her neck.

 

Or more accurately, the two tiny holes on her neck.

 

Xander then proceeded to fly into a rage, berating both Gunn and Anita for allowing such a thing to happen. The man was practically foaming at the teeth, claiming he was going to pay Asher a visit with his chainsaw right now. Willow attempted to calm him down, but when nothing would work she snapped.

 

"I let him do it!"

 

The words had been screamed, bouncing off the walls of Anita's home and echoing off into silence. No one dared to move as the redhead stared down her friend with tear-filled eyes. A part of him had wanted to go and hug her, the other part was frightened off by the look of sheer anger in her eyes.

 

Wisely, everyone had parted before the redhead, allowing her to stomp her way up the staircase and into her room. She had stayed there for the entire day after, only coming out again at night because she had to make another visit to Asher. Five nights a week was their deal, and Willow was beginning to seriously dislike it. She didn't want to be near him so often. He was a creep and a liar.

 

At least, that's what she told herself over and over again. The creep part she knew for certain, the liar part she clung to with fervent belief. He had to be a liar, because she didn't want to have to accept that sometimes he told the truth. Especially about certain things . . .

 

Anita had also been very silent, actually abstaining from visiting the Circus for a few weeks. She sent Micah in her stead whenever it was necessary, though she never explained to anyone why she was behaving in the way she was. Jean-Claude did not seem the least bit surprised by Anita's absence, though Micah could not say for certain that the vampire did not mind. Of course, the underlying anger he picked up off the Master of the City might have nothing to do with Anita, as the bad attitude seemed pretty prevalent throughout the Circus. A somber mood if Micah had ever seen one, and he wasn't enough of a fool that he didn't know why.

 

Jean-Claude and Asher were waiting on the repercussions of their 'revenge'. It was coming, that was certain. Micah had only spent a few hours with this Mr. Giles person, but even he knew that the man would do everything within his power to make sure that Asher would pay.

 

And Mr. Giles apparently had lots of power.

 

Xander had become very agitated with Willow's silence. Though Gunn shrugged and claimed ignorance of what had gone down between Willow and Asher, even he agreed that the vampire had to have done something worse than usual for Willow to be down like she was.

 

The redhead pretty much ignored people around her, talking only when she felt like talking, which wasn't very often. She spent most of her time in the those few weeks after her first visit with Asher just staring off into space, a forlorn expression on her face. Xander had attempted several times to try and get to the bottom of Willow's problem, but never really succeeded. The closest he had gotten was about two weeks after that first visit, when Willow finally broke down in front of his pleading and began to ask him a question.

 

"Do you ever wonder what really happened? What Spike and Angel did . . . Do you ever think this is justified at . . ."

 

He had replied vehemently in the negative, exclaiming that nothing would justify what Asher did to her. She agreed with him slightly, acknowledging that Asher had no right to bring her into this whole mess, but she wouldn't go further than that. Her eyes would take on this far away look if they discussed the issue with their vamps and these vamps and her mood would become very more sullen than before.

 

Xander knew that Asher had done something, said something to Willow, but he didn't have the slightest clue what it was. He was clueless on how to bring his best friend out of this rut she had seemingly fallen into, knowing that it would end if he could just take her home and away from all this.

 

But Xander also knew that that wasn't an option anymore.

 

*****

 

"Giles says his plan will work."

 

Anya sighed, looking tiredly between the two Summers girls having their own debate by the kitchen counter. It had been about a month since Willow first disappeared, about three weeks since Xander had gone to get her, and nothing was at all close to being resolved. 

Willow was still stuck in St. Louis near that jerk of a vampire 

Asher, and the rest of them were still here, because they weren't allowed in the city. Jean-Claude, the oh-so-powerful Master of St. Louis, seemed to be too frightened of them to let them within a mile of city limits.

 

Anya snorted to herself. The arrogant vamp had a good reason to be afraid, but he was stupid if he thought he could keep them out forever. Sooner or later, all the Scoobies here would have come to the end of their rope and march right into Jean-Claude's territory, armed to the teeth. And some of them armed with their teeth.

 

Her eyes slid over the two vampires that had taken up shop in the basement of the Summers' abode. Both were surly and unhappy, not to mention they felt really guilty about Willow's situation. But having been forced to bunk together was becoming almost too much for even the two vampires. Two fist fights had broken out the night before, bringing their total to about fifteen since Angel had arrived in Sunnydale.

 

Buffy was not impressed with either of them. They busted another one of the pipes down there during their brawl. Not only did Buffy make them pay for the damage, but she forced them to stay down there, up to their ankles in water until the plumber was able to fix the pipe.

 

Dawn was the one approaching the whole situation with the most calm, surprisingly. The teenage, though very vehement on her desire to just go save Willow by sheer force, had developed a mature attitude towards the whole thing. Maybe it was all the extra research she had been doing to fill her time, looking up anything and everything on the other species of vampires and what these marks meant exactly. The answers she found weren't the ones she was looking for, but at least they served to make her wiser to the sensitivity of the whole situation. Now she was throwing her entire support behind Giles and the Watchers' Council, citing that they were the only ones in the position to do anything about this.

 

Cordelia, Fred, and Lorne tried to steer clear of having any opinion on the matter. Cordelia spent most of her time with the baby Connnor, as did Lorne. They refused to go along with any plan of action that anyone came up with, citing that patience were the only things that were going to get them out of this mess. And patience meant that everyone was going to have to take a step back from the situation and just wait on Giles to give them some sort of go-ahead signal.

 

So, the situation in the house was very tense. Buffy was angry with the vampires, the vampires were angry with each other, Dawn was waiting on Giles as were Cordy and Lorne, and Fred and Anya were doing everything they could to avoid thinking about the situation by throwing themselves into work. Anya retreated to her Magic Shop whenever she could, mindlessly doing inventory and completing sales until Buffy came to collect her before the Slayer started her patrol. Fred managed the household itself, cleaning everything with a fervent zeal. When she ran out of chores that needed to be done, the little Texan turned her attention to the upkeep of Buffy's weapons. Never had the Slayer's arsenal looked so bright and shiny.

 

Of course, the only saving grace that anyone in the house had was Cordelia's visions, which were dramatically increased on the Hellmouth. There was always some damsel in distress or innocent children that needed saving, and Buffy, Spike, and Angel charged headfirst into every fight, taking out their frustrations on whatever poor demon that had the unfortunate luck of coming across their path.

 

But now, that whole pattern was coming to an end. Giles had called, the Watcher had a plan. It was a dangerous plan, but then again, when was any plan not dangerous?

 

Anya had listened to the man, hearing what his rationale was for this rather devastating strike, but agreeing with him that it would work. The only way to harm Asher without harming Willow had been discovered and Giles wasn't about to pass this opportunity up. He had phoned to inform them that it would go down by the end of this week. Buffy had contested Giles's method, citing that her own would be much more effective. Sure, she couldn't hurt Asher, but she sure could hurt all those around him.

 

Giles had very quickly told her no. His plan was the plan they were going with. He didn't want to involve the Slayer in this if he could avoid it. Buffy was a real sore point when it came to the Vampire Council and any allowance on his part to let her run havoc on Jean-Claude might result in the revocation of the Council's neutrality promise during his strike against Asher. Buffy had to stay put, they all did. Giles promised that the situation would be taken care of by the end of the week.

 

Anya just hoped he could keep that promise.


	24. Chapter 24  The Return Of The Watcher

She hadn’t been expecting him back so soon.

 

In fact, Willow was sure she wasn’t going to see him again for a few months. After all, three marks and all that grey area bullshit. Shouldn’t that take a few good months of research? Shouldn’t he be holed up in London with all his fellow Watchers, going through book after book trying to find a way to solve or at least avenge the mess that had become her life?

 

So why was Giles back in a matter of a six weeks?

 

She stared at him, open-mouthed and numb. It had started off as a normal Wednesday at the Anita Blake residence. She had woken up at about nine to find Anita gone to work and most of the kittens still sleeping. Gunn was content to sleep past noon everyday if she would let him get away with it, which she didn’t really. Xander had the absolute horrible habit of being up at six in the morning due to his job in Sunnydale. It just wasn’t natural for him to sleep past six on any day but Sunday, so he was usually up making breakfast for everyone. It was odd that he was so good at it, considering the fact that Willow was certain she had never seen Xander cook before in her entire life.

 

But back to Giles and her being shocked. And that’s how it went down. Xander was in the kitchen, still cooking away. He was making lots of bacon and sausage, knowing that the scent of meat would eventually drive all the kittens down and out of their beds without him having to venture near the stairwell. She had gone to get the morning paper, seeing as Anita always left it lying outside when she departed in the mornings.

 

And when she had opened the door, there he was. Standing on the front porch, her newspaper in his hand and dressed head to toe in that splendid tweed he always wore. She had been stunned into absolute silence, not even returning his greeting right away.

 

“Willow?” he was beginning to look a bit concerned now. Well, she had been staring silently at him for a good three minutes now. Anyone in their right mind would be concerned about that. The redhead blinked, suddenly coming back to herself. She looked at him sharply, as if to ascertain that it was really him and not just some dream of hers. He looked back, a bit amused by now, actually leaning forward and tapping her nose playfully.

 

“Do I pass the test yet?” he asked her, good humour in his voice. She blinked once more before a huge grin broke out over her features.

 

“Giles!” she cried in a voice loud enough to wake the sleeping kittens upstairs. But she didn’t care, springing up and throwing her arms around the man she considered a father. She was babbling quite happily, unsure of whether his quick return meant good or bad news and finding that she didn’t care either way. She was just so glad to have him back. Giles made her feel safe, made her feel like something would be solved or at least mediated between the ever burgeoning battle lines in St. Louis. Willow wasn’t an idiot. She might have been in a funk for weeks now, but even she could pick up on the tension underlying absolutely everything. The problems between Anita and the vampires were spreading, some were saying to the point where things couldn’t be salvaged. Willow wasn’t too sure about that, but she did know they were all divided. And divided could mean very bad things for Anita and her friends, considering how their united front has been the only thing keeping them alive for the past few years.

 

Well, that and Anita’s little habit of shooting first and not really caring to ask questions. It was an amazingly effective method.

 

“It’s good to see you too Willow,” Giles murmured, drawing the redhead out of her thoughts. She pulled back from his embrace eventually, knowing that by now Xander and half the house was waiting in the entrance hall for them, but she didn’t really care. She just looked up at Giles, hope and trust radiating so brightly in her eyes that Giles was almost dumbfounded. A few tiny seeds of doubt began to drift into his consciousness, but he crushed them quickly. He had promised Willow and others swift justice, and he was here to deliver that exactly.

 

It was too bad he couldn’t tell anyone about it.

 

*****

 

Having Giles back made Willow so incredibly happy that her good mood spread throughout the Blake residence. The kittens were in a playful mood, Nathaniel and Caleb running circles around Micah while the Nimir-Raj watched in amusement. Even Gunn and Xander were uplifted by Willow’s sudden change in behaviour. Gunn had begun whistling while he polished his axe instead of glowering and muttering while he did it, as had been the case for the last little while. Xander was just being Xander, more carefree with his snark now that he could see that Willow had relaxed immensely.

 

And Giles had only been in town for a few hours.

 

The Englishman watched on in contentment as Willow and Xander talked rather animatedly about the city of St. Louis. The three of them sat at Anita’s kitchen table, nursing cups of tea that Giles had brought especially for them. Apparently it was some rare blend that one could only get from some far off country. Xander had drank it without noticing any sort of real difference. Willow had been practically bouncing in her seat when Giles produced the tea, talking on and on about how this would be like a ‘tea adventure’. Xander had been extremely amused and started teasing the redhead about that almost immediately. And the two had been at it for quite some time.

 

Giles could only watch on with fatherly pride and love. These two children, they never ceased to amaze him. They had taken numerous shocks and upheavals in their short lives and yet they were still surviving. Things had effects on them, that’s for sure. A person could tell that just by looking in their eyes and seeing the flashes of tiredness and sadness that occurred every now and then. But they rolled with punches, always kept getting back on their feet and going back to the way they wanted to be. Sure, they had times of grief and pain, but their ability to recover from such hardships astounded him to no end. Some Slayers in history had been broken by far less than what these two had endured in their lives.

 

The only thing that made him the slightest bit sad was knowing that their ordeals were not yet over. His plan to get revenge on Asher was well on its way to being complete. But the aftermath of that revenge might make things even more difficult than they were now. However, Giles had no real choice. Steps had to be taken, punishment had to be handed out to protect not only the life of the Slayer but also the prestige of the Council. Because without its prestige, the Watchers’ Council would not have a prayer in being able to protect its Slayer any longer.

 

He just wished he had another way of doing it. But he didn’t. This was all the Council had to go on, and this was the decision of the Council. Asher’s punishment had been decided.

 

Giles just hoped that Willow would survive through it.

 

*****

 

Anita came home to a much more livelier house than she had left in the morning.

 

With an almost quizzical look on her face, the Nimir-Ra walked into her home in the early Wednesday evening, seeing her pard prancing around her living room in what could only be described as some sort of playing. She swore to God Zane, Caleb, Nathaniel, and Cherry were playing tag as they leapt up and over her living room furniture. Micah watched from the couches as he conversed with Gunn in low tones. Something the young man from LA said sent the Nimir-Raj into peals of laughter, another thing that stunned her. Micah hadn’t given her a proper smile in almost three weeks, but now he looked laid-back and almost content.

 

She wondered what was up.

 

“What’s going on here?” she asked, approaching the living room cautiously. She was almost ploughed over by her over-enthusiastic pard as the leopards raced to her side, purring as they rubbed themselves over her legs before moving back to . . .whatever they were doing. Anita sent a confused look over to Micah.

 

“You are all drunk or something?”

 

Micah only grinned, shaking his head before pointing towards the kitchen.

 

“We have a visitor.”

 

More perplexed than before, Anita wandered into her kitchen, surprised at what she found there. Willow and Xander looked up at her entrance, shooting her happy smiles that nearly made her stop right in her tracks. Since when were these two so happy?

 

The answer to all her questions was sitting next to Willow at her table, nursing a cup of tea. Rupert Giles turned to the brunette woman, offering her a smile as he got to his feet.

 

“Hello Miss Blake,” he greeted her cordially, hand taking hers for a brief shake. “Pleasure to see you again.”

 

“Same here,” Anita returned, actually meaning it. Over the past few weeks, her house had become one of the most depressing places on God’s green earth and then Giles shows up and presto! Everyone’s smiling and happy. It was a welcome change.

 

“I didn’t realize you would return so quickly,” Anita started off, becoming a bit more suspicious. “You aren’t here to try and enact revenge on Asher, are you?”

 

“If I was, wouldn’t I have done so and then gotten out of the city while I had the chance?” Giles returned smoothly, in good humour. “But unfortunately I have no leads to report on that end just yet. But once I do, you will all be notified of it.”

 

“Before or after?” Anita demanded. Giles smiled bringing his cup back to his lips for a quick sip.

 

“During,” he finally replied. “But that’s all I’m going to say on that for now. As it is, I have some books that need to be picked up for our research two towns over. The current keeper was far too reluctant to send them by mail, so I came personally to pick them up. I decided to come check on Willow while I was around. And to make sure Xander hadn’t gotten himself killed yet.”

 

Xander made a face at that.

 

“Why does everyone assume that I’m going to get myself killed?” he whined.

 

“Because you are,” came the unison reply from Anita, Giles, and Willow. Xander just rolled his eyes, taking a long sip of his tea.

 

“How long will you be staying with us Mr. Giles?” Anita asked, immediately switching gears. Giles frowned, placing his cup back down on the table slowly as he faced Willow with a regretful face.

 

“Unfortunately, not for very long,” he admitted. “I must be out of town tonight. There is still much work that needs to be done. And there is a minor issue of a herd of Chaos demons that may be descending on the Hellmouth soon.”

 

Willow looked alarmed.

 

“Will everyone be okay?” she asked, worry evident in her voice. Giles patted her hand in reassurance.

 

“Everyone will be just fine,” he promised her. “Chaos demons are not that hard to kill. Besides Buffy has Spike, Angel, and Wesley there to help her with the slaying. I dare say if such a herd should make the mistake of coming to the Hellmouth, they would soon come to regret it.”

 

Willow nodded silently before giving Anita a hesitant smile.

 

“Can Giles stay for dinner?”

 

Like Anita could say no.

 

*****

 

Dinner was a pleasant affair; Anita forced to order pizza due to the sheer number of people that showed up that night. Gregory, Vivian, and Stephen were quick to add to the number of shifters in her home and Anita decided pizza was the only way to go. There were numerous pizza boxes along with paper plates and cups littering her living room and kitchen, but it was a small price to pay for having everyone so amicable.

 

True to his word, Giles had to leave after dinner. He had a flight to catch. He had a long chat with Willow before he left. And though the redhead was tearful at his departure, whatever he had told her had done wonders for her attitude. She wasn’t so openly mopey anymore. She seemed almost optimistic. Xander was happy that Willow was happy and Gunn was happy that no one was going to mope around like before.

 

The only person who did not leave the evening in good spirits was Giles himself. There was a heavy secret that bore down on his conscience. But still, he would not reveal it, would not let on to the others that something was there. He only bade everyone goodnight and drove his rental car back to the airport. He berated himself plenty in private, despising himself for the deceit he had just pulled on Willow and the others. But he also knew there was no other way. He did what he had to do.

 

He just hoped nothing bad would happen to Willow and Xander because of it.


	25. Chapter 25  Revenge Is A Dish . . .

“Is it done?”

 

Rupert Giles started at the soft-spoken question. He looked up from the glass of brandy he had been nursing for the past hour or so, twirling the drink in his cup instead of drinking it. The liquid sloshed about, splashing up when it hit one of the ice cubes he had put in there. Almost hypnotic the way the brandy did that, almost enough to take his mind off what he had to do next.

 

“Sir?”

 

Giles blinked, focusing in on the young Watcher standing nervously before his chair. Giles knitted his eyebrows together as he tried to remember the young man’s name. Roger? Robert? Ronald? Ronan? That’s it, Ronan!

 

“Everything has been arranged, Ronan,” Giles finally replied, carefully sounding out the man’s name. “You should get ready for the spell. It’ll happen soon enough. Night is descending there as we speak.”

 

“Yes sir,” Ronan replied sharply, turning on his heel and quickly making his way out of the room. Giles went back to his cup of brandy, brooding ever so slightly as he gazed into the brown liquid.

 

Everything was right in place. They just had to wait for Willow to make her way to Asher’s, which Giles knew she was doing as soon as darkness fell. The vampire had the redhead on quite the tight schedule, another thing that made Giles hate him with a fiery passion. Bastard had completely overrun her life. And that was all Giles needed to remind himself of why he was doing what he was doing and why it was right. Asher needed to pay for what he had done, not for the Council or its reputation, but for what he had done to an innocent girl. For what he had done to Willow and what he had taken from her.

 

Giles just prayed Willow could survive what he was about to do. The redhead would feel a minor backlash from the spell being conducted, but nothing like what Asher would be forced to suffer through. It was cruel, perhaps beyond necessity, but Giles didn’t feel that way. In fact he felt it was not enough. But it was the best he could do.

 

At least it would be done.

 

*****

 

Willow was quiet as Anita drove both of them to the Circus. Gunn had offered to come with them, but Anita politely turned him down. It had nothing to do with the man personally, but there was the slight issue of one of the female vampires becoming very attracted to him. Anita had to go and put the girl in her place, before she went to see Jean-Claude. Gunn hadn’t been informed of any of this, mostly due to the fact that he would probably protest the idea of Anita trying to protect him from anything. The man had his pride, and a lot of it. But Anita wasn’t going to take any more risks that necessary with her visitors. The situation with Willow was bad enough. The brunette didn’t even want to imagine what the Slayer’s group might do if another one of their colleagues was bitten or marked in anyway.

 

The redhead was thinking about bigger things. She felt a bit more relaxed since Giles had come to see them yesterday, but she couldn’t help shake the funny feeling she had gotten off the whole visit. Sure, Giles had been himself, right down to the tweed and tea. But there had been something off in the way he just showed up and departed so suddenly. She was bothered by it, though she didn’t quite know why.

 

Maybe she was over thinking the matter. But her intuition was telling her that Giles had been hiding something from her. And that something probably had a lot to do with Asher and the promised revenge against the vampire. Willow tried to be indifferent about the whole deal, but she was failing fast.

 

Part of her, the part that still belonged to her and her alone, wanted to see Asher pay for all of this. She wanted him hurt, wanted him to feel as helpless as she did at this moment. The other part of her, the part that he had tainted with his marks, felt just the slightest bit of concern for her master’s welfare. It wasn’t that she cared about him, but more that she was scared of what kind of effect that Giles’s revenge would have on her and the marks. Her survival was linked to his, and vice versa. She wasn’t so sure that Giles could do anything to Asher without her experiencing some of it as well.

 

And then there was this other tiny little part inside her with an entirely different view on matters. She hated this tiny part inside her, because it spoke of things she just didn’t want to admit. Though she would never forgive Asher or any of his allies for what they had done to her, that tiny part of her understood.

 

That’s right, she understood why they did what they did to her. The pain and torment Spike and Angel had inflicted on these vampires was almost crippling, heart breaking, and just tragic. Hearing of what they did, of whom they did it to, Willow knew that she couldn’t just get over it. After what Angel and Spike had done, she couldn’t find it in her to say that Asher was wrong for wanting revenge.

 

But she could still say he was wrong for including her. That would never change no matter what. She was innocent in all this; she shouldn’t have been dragged into like she had been. This wasn’t her fight, this wasn’t her feud. Asher ruined her life for the thrill of knowing he could finally get back at the two monsters who wronged him and his loved ones before. And he was wrong to do that.

 

No heroes in this tale. No good guys and bad guys. Just bad guys and worse guys, the ones who would try to outdo each other in being bad. And not even her friends could be considered the good guys in any of this. It was all beyond them and their power to control. They were nothing more than victims in this rather horrid tale.

 

Her train of thought was interrupted when Anita pulled into the Circus parking lot. The brunette eased her Jeep into a spot close to the back entrance, killing the engine and then sitting back for a second. Her dark eyes went out the front window and she dripped the steering wheel hard.

 

“You don’t have to let him bite you,” she stated simply. Willow nodded, shame flushing over her at the remark. Tears burned in the redhead’s eyes as she pushed open her car door.

 

“I know. I want him to.”

 

*****

 

Was there anyway she could justify this? Was there anyway she could make all her friends understand? Not likely, but she desperately wanted to try. Xander had been trying to find a good enough reason for her to be doing what she was doing, but he never came up with much. His attempts at rationalization were put to a quick end by her rather calm interruption. She always had the same thing to say:

 

“I want him to.”

 

It shamed her a bit, to think that she actually wanted this to happen to her. When she had allowed him to do it the first time, right after he had gone over in detail the horrors Spike and Angel revelled in, she had done it out of defeat. She had always acknowledged that her friends were vampires, and that they hadn’t always been that nice of vampires. But hearing things like that still hurt, to think about two people you trusted being capable of that . . .

 

No wonder Angel felt mind-numbing guilt every second of every day. 

 

He had basically worn her down, breaking down her defences, telling her all the things that she didn’t want to hear. She knew that he had done it on purpose, that this was her punishment for sticking up for herself. Asher was livid that she dared question anything that he did and that she had managed to get herself two formidable bodyguards in Richard and Anita. He made the bite as pleasurable as possible, knowing that it would entice her to want even more. He wanted to make her a slave to the bite, to have this itch that only he would ever be able to feed. He planned for it, and she had fallen into his trap quite easily.

 

Sex wasn’t even this much fun. It beyond anything else that she had ever felt. The extreme pleasure, even mixed with pain, was something a person could only imagine. She would be up and soaring the second his fangs descended on her neck. Together, their moans would fill up the room, noises that even the most satisfied lover could not muster.

 

It made her feel bad, made her feel kind of dirty. She didn’t like the way she craved it. She didn’t like the way that he knew it, an almost smug look in his eyes whenever she entered his rooms at night. She could feel his triumph, even in the way he glided over to her. She didn’t figure out what made her angrier. The way he acted as if he had won, or the way she acted as if he had won. She couldn’t have made this easier for him, falling into one trap after another with this vampire.

 

“I hear you had a visitor the other day.”

 

She blinked, looking from her position on the bed to see him glide out of the shadows. Again, his hair covered one side of his face, making sure not even she could see what he hid behind it. It was starting to make her very uneasy, the way he hid like he did. She wanted an answer, but knew well enough not to bother asking it. He wouldn’t react well to that, not in the slightest. Her curiosity would remain unfulfilled at the moment.

 

“Giles came,” she answered dully. “He came back and then he left.”

 

“And what did your beloved Watcher have to say?” Asher continued to press. Willow felt the corners of her lips tilt up in a smirk. She shot the vampire a measuring gaze, her scorn written all over her face.

 

“Scared of a human?” she needled him viciously. “My, how unbecoming of a Master Vampire of your status.”

 

“Willow, do not test me,” Asher sighed, sinking onto the bed right next to her. His hand immediately went to her hair, brushing it away from her neck and lovingly fingering the two holes there.

 

“You will not like the result.”

 

The words were laced with venom, so much so she actually shivered. He responded by putting his arm around her waist, pulling her backwards into his embrace. He put his lips right on her the bite marks, lips brushing them whenever he spoke causing her to quiver and blush at the same time.

 

“Now, what did Mr. Giles have to say?”

 

“Nothing,” she stammered, uncomfortable in his embrace but not really having the desire to break away from him. “He just came by to see how we were doing, and to see if Xander had managed to keep himself out of trouble.”

 

Asher chuckled deeply, placing a soft kiss right on her pulse point. Willow bit her lip, swallowing her slight moan. She didn’t want him to have the satisfaction.

 

“When will I be able to meet this infamous Xander?” Asher asked tauntingly. “I have met all your other little friends who came to visit.”

 

“Stay away from Xander,” she snapped at him.

 

“And if I do not?”

 

“Then nothing, not even me, will stop Buffy from coming in here and tearing your heart right out of your chest,” Willow replied firmly. Asher said nothing in response to her threat, inside rubbing his face in her face.

 

“You seem a bit distracted,” the vampire murmured. “Are you sure Giles did not say anything else? Anything to upset you?”

 

“Giles isn’t the one upsetting me,” Willow responded flatly. Asher sighed, as if in consent with what she said. He lowered his lips to her neck once more, stopping to whisper in her ear.

 

“Very well then. Let’s get down to business shall we?”

 

Willow gave a whimper when he sank his fangs into her neck.

 

*****

 

The chanting had started an hour before. The spell took time and concentration. They had to get it right otherwise they would fail. And though it was a painstaking process, Giles knew that it was worth it.

 

The mist began forming around the blessed circle. Giles watched in minor trepidation as the Council’s contracted coven wove their spell, knowing that even as far away from Willow as they were, the spell would work anyway.

 

It was beginning to work. Giles looked to the bowl of liquid in the centre of the circle, the same liquid he had slipped into Willow’s tea the day before. It was shining blue, a radiant colour that bled red as the spell worked its way to completion. When the liquid turned completely blood red, Giles knew that it had been done.

 

The spell had worked.

 

*****

 

Willow couldn’t explain what happened next if she tried. One second she was feeling the pleasure of the bite, the next she was feeling the onslaught of magic. It went through her, as if filling the very veins of her body with its power. She opened her eyes, shocked by the simultaneous feel of fear and pleasure that rocked her body.

 

She could feel his fangs in her neck, knowing that the magic was soaring through her body and straight into him. She could almost see it as it moved, seeing the way it flooded Asher’s very essence.

 

The vampire gasped and pulled back, leaving her in a heap on the bed. She could see how her blood covered his lips, knowing that he hadn’t finished what he was doing and so she was still bleeding from the neck. He back-pedaled, trying to put as much distance between himself and the bed, but even she knew it was in vain.

 

Asher let out a shout of alarm and fell backwards, his eyes closed and body motionless.

 

*****

 

He could not be here. He could go through this again. He had been through this before, it was over! It could not happen again!

 

But even as he shouted these things in his mind, he knew it was fruitless. This was it, the very same room he had been in the first time around. Strapped down, just like before, silver manacles tying him down to the board. He heard their chanting before he registered their presence. A group of cloaked men, their faces hidden by their hoods, only their hands visible to his sight.

 

Their hands that carried bottles of Holy Water in them.

 

He could hear their words, knowing that they were attempting to “cure” him of his demon. This was what they did the first time around, this is what they would do this time.

 

Panicked, Asher watched as the first drop was split, right on his cheek. The smell of burnt flesh wafted over the whole room, accompanied by the very real sounds of sizzling. He kept his tongue as long as he could, feeling the water burn him drop by drop. Again his mind went to Jean-Claude, praying for him to interfere, but knowing that he would not come. Jean-Claude could not save him the last time, and he wouldn’t be able to now.

 

Finally, the pain became too much for even him to handle. Throwing his head, Asher let out an inhuman scream of pain, hearing it echo off the walls before fading away. But still his tormentors would not stop.

 

His following cries filled the room, invoking mind-numbing terror from all that heard them.


	26. Chapter 26  Reliving The Not-So-Good Old Days

Things went far too fast after that.

 

One second she had been laying on the bed, looking confusedly down at the shrieking form of Asher while pressing a hand to the wound on her neck. The next second, the door burst open and in rushed what had to be half the staff of the Circus of the Damned.

 

Willow couldn't understand half the things being shouted her way. She felt rather than saw all the hands moving her, knowing that someone had noticed her bleeding when a cloth was pressed against her neck. Her eyes were rolling around in her head and the redhead knew she had lost way too much blood to be moved around like this. She tried to convey that to the people around her, but it was fruitless. The ruckus continued, increasing in volume and activity when several people noticed that they could not snap Asher out of whatever trance he was in.

 

"I don't know what happened," she croaked out at whoever was asking her the questions. Her words were slurred and her mouth felt all fuzzy. It was like being drunk, only it hurt a lot more than that. She pushed at the hands poking her, trying to shout out that she needed to sit down. But everyone wanted to know about Asher and they kept asking her.

 

"I don't know!" she screamed again, this time her tone angrier than before. "I don't know-he just fell and was like that."

 

"What is going on here?"

 

Crap. Now Jean-Claude was here. She was sure to catch some grief over all this from him. Considering the state his bestest vampire buddy was in right now.

 

Oh look, something good for a change. Anita was following him in, her eyes immediately going to Asher screaming on the floor. Willow was able to see the shifters trying to restrain the thrashing vampire. They were mostly failing, the vampire so distressed by whatever was happening to him to be calmed.

 

Anita sunk by his side, barking orders at all those around her. Willow felt some of the people prodding her leave her side as they went to go do whatever Anita had instructed them to do. She was lowered back onto the bed, the cloth still being pressed tightly to her neck. The bleeding was slowing and the pain in her neck was subduing to a dull ache. She sat back down, leaning over as she tried to regain her breath and wash away the dizziness clouding her brain.

 

It was working just fine until Jean-Claude let his eyes fall on her.

 

The next thing she knew, she was being dangled about a foot off the floor as the vampire jerked her up at the arm and practically snarled at her in rage. Willow blinked, avoiding his eyes immediately as Anita had taught her, but still feeling the depth of the Master's anger rolling off his body.

 

"What did you do to him?" Jean-Claude demanded of her. He shook her a couple of times for good measure, causing the redhead to become slightly sick to her stomach. She tried to work her mouth properly, hoping to convey her innocence but couldn't quite manage it. The Master of the City was yelling at her too much, shaking her too much, and generally scaring her too much.

 

"Anita!" the redhead finally managed to shriek. The brunette snapped her head in Willow's direction, seeing the peril the redhead was currently in. Anita jumped to her feet, placing a restraining hand on Jean-Claude's arm.

 

"Jean-Claude, let her down," the brunette ordered hims slowly. Jean-Claude actually shrugged her off, gripping the redhead's arm tighter than before. Willow gave a painful cry at the increased pressure, tears welling up in her eyes. Anita gave a frustrated growl before pulling harder on Jean-Claude.

 

"Hurting Willow will do nothing to help Asher!" the Executioner reminded him. "She's his human servant, remember?"

 

Jean-Claude blinked, reigning his anger in just a tad bit. Willow felt his iron-clad grip on her arm decrease to a comfortable level and she was lowered to the ground once more. She opened her eyes, motioning to her neck with her free hand. Anita nodded, picking up the discarded cloth and pressing it against Willow's neck again.

 

"She's hurt," the brunette tried to break through to Jean-Claude. "Obviously Asher was feeding before whatever happened. Now I don't know about you, but I don't see Willow being the cause of this. She practically bled to death here."

 

Jean-Claude gave some sort of growl in response, moving about a foot away from the redhead. Willow sagged against Anita in relief, watching as some of the shifters began to move Asher onto the bed. The vampire was still screaming, still thrashing, and showing no sign of coming out of whatever state he was in.

 

The redhead watched him uneasily as Anita tended to her neck wound. Jean-Claude prowled the floor before the door, snapping a few times at the shifters wandering in and out of the room. Willow knew he was sending her quite a few dark looks but she didn't care. She just needed to catch her breath, to make the world stop spinning right before her eyes.

 

"Willow?" Anita asked her softly. "Willow, what happened?"

 

The redhead shrugged, closing her eyes and taking a few deep breaths. Her arm was still sore from where Jean-Claude had been holding her. She was surprised that he hadn't broken her arm, he had been that angry.

 

"He just collapsed," the redhead choked. "We were feeding and then I felt this rush of power just go through me-and then he was on the floor. I don't know what it was-he was on the floor. And then he started screaming. I don't know . . ."

 

Willow fell silent, her energy gone completely. Anita was rubbing her good arm, shooting Jean-Claude a few looks. The Master of the City growled once more, his voice full of anger as he muttered just one word.

 

"Giles."

 

*****

 

Willow was kind of drifting between sleep and consciousness. Jean-Claude had ordered her to another bedroom soon after he came to the conclusion that Giles had been behind whatever happened to Asher. The redhead was inclined to agree with him on his hunch. This setup reeked of Giles, or Ripper if you wanted to get technical about it.

 

The redhead moaned, turning her head slightly to the side. Her arm was bruised, thanks to Jean-Claude. Yet another thing she had the Master of the City to thank for. Honestly, if she could, she would so inflict damage on him. Imagine, all the crap she's been through, at his approval, and he had the gall to rough her up.

 

Xander wasn't going to like this development one bit. Willow hoped Anita had the common sense to tell the wereleopards to keep Gunn and Xander a safe distance from the Circus right now. Things were tense enough as it was, they didn't need Gunn and Xander marching in to make this more difficult. Especially considering that she knew they would bring the axe and the chainsaw they had brought along with their other luggage.

 

Her neck still burned a bit, though the bleeding had stopped completely. Anita had managed to get a first-aid kit from one of the shifters and managed to dress the wound a bit. Willow was healing nicely, something she was chalking up to the human servant status. But it still hurt a bit and she had to be careful not to move too much. The wound might open again, especially since Asher didn't have the time to take care of it before his little freak out session.

 

Willow sighed as she settled down under the covers. She felt very tired. Her limbs were sore, she had lost a lot of blood, and there was a very serious crisis going on outside her room. Whatever Giles had done to Asher was a doozy. They weren't sure what it was, but they knew it was hurting Asher.

 

Without harming her in the least. Anita was going ballistic trying to wrap her mind around that.

 

The redhead relaxed completely, feeling her body become still. She was mildly surprised when she fell into a dream state almost immediately. In her mind's eye, the redhead saw herself in a dark room, flickering in the light of a few wavering candles. She saw all the chains on the wall first, feeling a chill shiver down her spine.

 

She heard the screams next.

 

The first one scared the hell out of her, causing her to spin around in shock. Her eyes fell on the group of cloaked figures in the corner of the room. They surrounded someone else, someone they were torturing. She could hear the poor individual shrieking in real pain. She could smell the slightest whiff of burnt flesh making its way over to her. She didn't want to see what was going on but it was like some sort of a train-wreck. She just couldn't look away.

 

The closer she edged to the group of cloaked figures the louder the screams became. Willow gulped heavily, trying to block the scent of burnt flesh, which also increased with every step. She was imagining several things that she could encounter when she reached the group of cloaked tormentors and none of them were all too pretty.

 

She finally came to the edge of the group, walking around the figures until she could see the person they were surrounding. She thought her heart would stop beating the second she saw him there.

 

Asher, chained to a table. She could see his face more clearly than ever before, he was beautiful. Simply beautiful.

 

And these people were ever so surely destroying that beauty. They were using Holy Water, using it to disfigure him. Using it to rip away his beauty and inflict nothing but pain.

 

Drop by drop.

 

Willow watched, watching Asher jump off the table in pain. His blue eyes were frantic, pained, and desolate. Jean-Claude's name poured from his lips almost continuously, interrupted only by a few French phrases that were stringed together in such a mess that even she couldn't identify them. He was in real pain.

 

A smile curved her lips.

 

Good.


	27. Chapter 27  He Had It Coming

It had been two weeks and there was no sign of change.

 

Anita sighed, looking across the room at Willow, the redhead stubbornly refusing to meet her gaze. They were back at the Circus, Willow never having left. While Asher was incapacitated, Jean-Claude had ordered that Willow remain nearby in case Asher had need of his human servant. It was pure bullshit, everyone knew that. Jean-Claude just wanted to keep an eye on the redhead he blamed for the condition of his best friend.

 

Of course, he conveniently forgot what his friend had done to Willow and had been doing to her for about two months now.

 

Anita, though wanting to stick up for Willow, had no choice but to relent. While Jean-Claude had been willing to negotiate before, all that was now out of the window. The dark-haired vampire was on a warpath, and Anita knew trying to remove Willow after his decree not to would result in a lot more trouble than she was prepared to handle at the moment. Even Richard had come to try and break Willow out, but soon bowed out due to Jean-Claude's state. The Master of the City was not in the mood to be questioned. And so, Willow stayed right where she was.

 

Not that the redhead minded in the least. In fact, being around Asher was actually making the redhead smile nowadays. Of course, that stemmed more from her own enjoyment in watching the vampire cry out in pain and suffering more than anything else. Willow had been given her revenge courtesy of her friend Mr. Giles. And the redhead was making the absolute best of it.

 

And she didn't want for it to end.

 

"Willow, this can't keep going on," Anita started again, more than a little irritated when Willow refused to answer. "Come on Willow, you know I wouldn't ask if it wasn't necessary. It has to end, Jean-Claude is driving himself insane."

 

"Yeah, he sure is," Willow replied, a smug smile on her face. "I imagine that is exactly how Buffy reacted to what Asher did to me. She probably even broke things, most likely demons."

 

Anita gave another sigh, leaning back in her chair and looking around the room. It was the same room they had first put Willow in when Asher had brought her here. It was little more than a cell, not even having a bathroom attached to it. But the redhead was surprisingly cheerful in the gloomy surroundings, not even minding that her own wardrobe was left behind at Anita's house and that she had been forced into wearing some of those leather and lace combos Asher had prepared for her. Just looking at the redhead, sitting calmly on her bed with her legs stretched out, clothed in a long leather skirt with a slit right up to her thigh and a tight velvet shirt with her midriff exposed reminded Anita of the 'gifts' Jean-Claude often gave her. What was with vampires and all this leather anyway?

 

"Willow, when is it going to be enough for you?" Anita asked, going for a different approach. The redhead stopped to consider her question, tossing the brunette a wicked grin suddenly.

 

"Well, this human servant thing is forever, right?" Willow asked, her green eyes lighting up with satisfaction. "That ought to be long enough."

 

"Willow, don't be ridiculous," Anita snapped. "You can't keep Asher in this condition forever. He is your master, and if anything should happen to him while he is unable to defend himself, well, then things are going to be very bad for you."

 

"I know that already," Willow pouted. "But I'm choosing not to care right about now. And don't try to force my hand about this Anita. Asher deserves this, and a whole lot more for what he's done to me and my friends. Besides, I don't know what's happening to him anyway. This is all Giles's doing."

 

"Then phone Giles and ask him to stop this," Anita demanded.

 

"Yeah, about that," Willow scrunched up her nose. "I don't feel like it just now. Maybe you can ask again later."

 

"Willow, this is not a game!"

 

"No! It's my revenge!" the redhead shouted, springing to her feet and towering over Anita. The brunette woman was shocked to see the level of hatred and rage boiling over in Willow's eyes, a fire she had only seen sparks of since she had known the redhead. It almost made Anita want to back down.

 

Almost, but not completely.

 

"He took my life!" Willow continued, positively seething by now. "He took me away from my home, my family, my friends! He's using me to taunt all of them, using me to hurt them! And then he justifies it because a couple hundred years ago Angel and Spike did some shit to him! Fine! They hurt him! They hurt Jean-Claude! They did horrible things! But I wasn't there! I didn't have a hand in it! I didn't even know about it! So why the hell am I here?"

 

Anita didn't respond, knowing now was the time to keep her mouth shut.

 

"I'm here because Asher is a self-righteous, sadistic bastard!" Willow shouted at her. "He gets off on tormenting not only Angel and Spike, but me as well. He's all pissed off because he's had some shit happen to him before. Well it's time to wake up! Everyone goes through hard shit in their lives! It's not exclusive to him. I've lost friends, a couple to Angel and Spike too. But I do not extract revenge from innocent bystanders. Asher isn't like you and me Anita. He's a vampire, and he is a bad one at that. He's nothing more than a monster, and he is getting exactly what he deserves. And I will not back down from that."

 

Anita sighed, watching Willow slowly climb back on her bed and turn her head away. The Executioner got to her feet, sparing the shaking redhead one glance before heading to the door.

 

Well, that was a bust.

 

*****

 

"But it's been two weeks-"

 

"And what he did to her is permanent."

 

"But you don't understand what he went through during those days-"

 

"And we don't care either."

 

"But-"

 

"No more buts. The vampire did something heinous to my Willow. And now he's going to pay for it as long as she wants him to."

 

"What about Jean-Claude? He's really dangerous right now. He could do something, try to force Giles into letting Asher go."

 

"He could try. But your boy JC doesn't have a Willowy-shield of protection. He tries something, Buffy comes here and wipes the floor with his undead ass. You think your Master of the City is any match for our Buffster? Well, you got another thing coming."

 

"We're never going to see eye to eye on this-"

 

"Then why are you bothering? Red is safe and Asher is getting what he deserves. Sounds like everything is finally turning out right."

 

"This is going to end badly."

 

"Yeah well, it started badly, so no big shock there."

 

Micah sighed, turning away from the debate in the living room to head into the kitchen. His leopards were trying to convince Xander and Gunn of the seriousness of Asher's condition. It wasn't that any of them believed Asher didn't deserve this punishment, it was that Anita had asked them to try. They needed that spell off Asher, and soon.

 

There was trouble heading their way.

 

*****

 

It was fine to sit here and enjoy watching him squirm.

 

Willow knew that generally it was wrong to take pleasure in the pain of another person, but Asher wasn't technically a person. He was the monster that had uprooted her and ruined her life. She was going to enjoy his suffering, no matter how many times Anita told her not too. If Asher could bask in the torment he inflicted on human beings, why couldn't she bask in her revenge? It was only fair, at least she thought so.

 

However, there was one thing bothering her. One thing she hadn't told Anita, or Xander, or anyone for that matter. It was something she kept to herself and mostly tried to ignore. It wasn't fun dwelling on it, no matter how much pain it caused Asher in this place where he was stuck. She couldn't find it in herself to enjoy it, she couldn't even find it in herself to watch.

 

There was a woman here. She was beautiful, a brunette from what Willow could tell. Asher was deeply attached to her, she could tell that much. The woman was completely human.

 

And she was screaming Jean-Claude's name while they burned her.

 

*****

 

"Will she not listen to reason?"

 

Anita shook her head.

 

"None of them will," the brunette sighed. "Listen Jean-Claude, they feel kind of justified in all this, and they're not all wrong. Asher did have this coming."

 

"It is not a question of whether or not he had it coming!" Jean-Claude roared, standing up from behind his desk and slammingh his fist onto the surface. Anita swore she heard it crack.

 

"It is a question of whether or not Miss Rosenburg wishes to live," he finished, resembling some calm. "Try again ma petite. We have no other choice. The day draws closer."

 

"When?" she asked tiredly, rubbing her temples slightly.

 

"Four weeks they say," he replied softly. "Four weeks in which we have to convince her. If she says it I am sure Mr. Giles will remove this curse."

 

"And if he doesn't?"

 

"He will," Jean-Claude insisted. "For her, he will."

 

"I'll try again," Anita offered. Jean-Claude nodded and fell silent. Anita sighed and rose from her seat, making immediately for the doorway. She only had four weeks to convince the redhead that her revenge was enough. Only four weeks to bring Asher back to himself. Only four weeks to get Willow prepared for what was coming next.

 

Only four weeks before Belle Morte's entourage arrived.


	28. Chapter 28  The Stipulations

Things were not turning out the way they were supposed to.

 

Jason shot Willow a look out of the corner of his eye, trying not to be too obvious is his observation of her. He had been instructed by Jean-Claude to keep a close eye on the redhead during this excursion, and he planned to adhere to that. After all, Jean-Claude was not someone to be trifled with nowadays. He was behaving in the most erratic manner for four weeks now. The same four weeks that Asher had been under whatever curse Giles had put upon him.

 

He was actually kind of surprised that this was all happening the way it was. When Anita had come back to Jean-Claude after her second attempt to reason with Willow, she had come back with a list of demands from the redhead. Jean-Claude had looked downright murderous when Anita relied the conditions under which Willow would ask Giles to release Asher. Jason was surprised Jean-Claude didn't kill someone at that very moment. He hadn't looked all that happy.

 

But when Jean-Claude agreed to her terms, Jason got a feel of how worried the Master of the City was. To allow this kind of condition, especially with all the people that would be allowed to come so close to his own territory, it was a gamble. A gamble that Jean-Claude took because the vampire was that worried about what was coming.

 

Jason sighed, turning to look out his window as the scenery flew by them. Willow did the same on her side of the van, having not moved from that spot since the trip had started. Jamil was driving and Richard was in the passenger seat next to him. Shang-da was also present, though he was confined to the very back of the van with Xander.

 

They were all on their way to Myerton, where they would be meeting up with the rest of Willow's friends. That had been the condition she had thrown Jean-Claude's way. Either he let her see her friends, or Asher would stay in the state he was regardless of who was coming to St. Louis. And Jean-Claude had rather begrudgingly agreed, but only if he was able to keep Gunn as collateral. Gunn had agreed without missing a beat and the next thing Jason knew, he was being sent to Myerton with the instructions to keep a close eye on the redhead that was causing Jean-Claude so much grief.

 

But on the other hand, it wasn't like Asher and Jean-Claude had been making Willow's life all rosy either. The redhead was kind of justified in all of this.

 

They had been in the van for hours. He knew that Myerton wasn't that much further away. A few butterflies started to take off in his stomach. He had heard the list of people that would be there, the foremost on his mind being the Slayer. It was like meeting Anita with more strength and less guns. And Xander had told him to keep his flirting to a very subtle level, because Buffy would appreciate it less than the Executioner. He would have contested that theory on any other trip, but for this one, he had explicit instructions:

 

Do not let Willow out of his sight.

 

And for his own welfare, Jason was going to follow orders.

 

*****

 

"You knew she was going to demand it sooner or later."

 

Jean-Claude grunted but did not respond. His eyes were intent on Gunn, who sat idly in the corner of his office avoiding the eyes of the Master of the City. Anita sat in one of the visitor chairs, watching both males with a slight bit of trepidation.

 

"It was only a matter of time," Anita tried again. "We all knew. Willow wasn't going to go forever without seeing her friends again. Especially the Slayer, no matter how much you didn't want it."

 

"It is not the Slayer I'm concerned about," Jean-Claude growled, eyes still focused on Gunn. The young man seemed very unimpressed with his current state of captivity, still refusing to meet Jean-Claude's eyes.

 

"Well, Asher did choose her because she was so close to them," Anita rolled her eyes. "It only stands to reason that she sees them as well. Especially after everything that has happened because of them."

 

Again there was no response to anything she said. Anita heaved another big sigh and sunk lower in her seat.

 

This was going to be a fun week.

 

*****

 

It was hard not to feel something when the reunion happened.

 

Richard hovered back, leaning against the van that had brought all of them so far, watching as Willow was nearly engulfed by a wave of people. He caught sight of a slight blonde woman who pulled Willow in for a long hug and felt his beast stir a bit in fear. He knew immediately that this was the Slayer. Funny, he thought she would be bigger. But then again, Anita wasn't exactly all that big and look at her.

 

Jason was actually a bit closer to the action, waggling his eyebrows suggestively at two brunettes waiting for their turn at hugging the new arrivals. But even from this point Richard could tell that Jason wasn't putting his whole heart into his flirting. His eyes kept wandering back to Willow, as if making sure the redhead didn't try to run.

 

The thinner of the two blushed furiously while the other one actually winked back at Jason. But the werewolf was soon forgotten as Willow cleared the way, motioning for the taller brunette. And then there were more tears and more sighs of relief.

 

"So, a lot of things have been happening up in your neck of the woods, eh?"

 

Richard managed a ghost of a smile for Verne, extending his hand to the other Ulfric.

 

"Hello Verne," Richard greeted him. "Thanks for the use of the cabins."

 

"No problem," Verne waved off his thanks. "But I've got to know, what's going on in St. Louis that you're asking for special arrangements for the Slayer of all people?"

 

"You would not believe me if I told you," Richard sighed. Verne just chuckled, slapping Richard amicably on the back.

 

"Isn't that always the way with you lot?"

 

*****

 

"They're in the cabin."

 

Cordelia had whispered it to her when they had hugged. Willow barely had time to wipe the tears from her eyes before she registered who Cordelia was talking about.

 

Spike and Angel were waiting in the cabin.

 

She looked around, seeing Anya had latched onto Xander and was not letting him go. Willow was in the same predicament, with Dawn seemingly permanently attached to her side. The redhead managed a small smile for the teenager, gently prying herself loose of Dawn's grip.

 

"I should go see them," she whispered to both Buffy and Dawn. Both Summers girls nodded, promptly clearing a way for her to move. Buffy pointed her to the right cabin and Dawn gave her a light push in the right direction. Willow stumbled a bit and then righted herself. 

 

She made her way to the door, hearing Xander tell Jason to leave her be for the moment. No doubt the wolf was trying to follow her, as he had been the entire way over here. But Xander was right. This wasn't the time for a visitor to tag along.

 

She reached the door, the first wave of nerves washing over her. For a second she debated not even going in, to just stay away. But that wasn't fair to them, that wasn't fair to her. They needed to do this.

 

The door opened with a slight swish, revealing a dark room obviously adapted for her vampire friends. She stepped in hesitantly, eyes taking a second to adjust in the dark room.

 

They were standing in the corner, Spike sitting on a bed while Angel sulked in corner. They had some bruises on their faces and generally looked worse for wear. They looked up at her entrance, both watching her walk with calm eyes. She could see the self-hate and guilt flickering in their gazes, knew that they expected her to do something to them. To rant and rail, to blame all of this on them.

 

But she could never do that.

 

"Hey guys. I think we have some stuff to talk about."


	29. Chapter 29  Talking It Through

"Do you think everything's all right in there?"

 

Cordelia shrugged, giving Fred a small smile before turning back to look at the closed door in front of them. The closed door that led to the cabin that Spike and Angel had been hiding in since they made it to this Myerton place. And the place that Willow had just entered, closing the door behind her so that she could have some "privacy" with the two vampires.

 

Cordelia honestly didn't know if that was a good sign or a bad sign.

 

"She doesn't blame them, if that's what everyone's worried about," Xander piped up, Anya perched on his lap and his head resting on her shoulder. "I've already asked her about it, she keeps saying no. Though she did seem curious about how the four undead superstars of her demise met the first time around."

 

"You mean that thing where Angel and Spike made the French guys really unhappy?" Dawn wrinkled her nose. "Did she ever get an answer?"

 

"Don't know," Xander shrugged. "She never talked about that Asher jerk a lot. I tried to pry things out of her when she went to go see him-"

 

"'See him'?" Buffy repeated, her tone turning sharp. "What do you mean 'see him'? Because I know you wouldn't let her get within ten feet of that bastard, would you Xander?"

 

"Hey, don't blame me!" Xander protested defensively, pointing to where Richard and the other wolves sat huddled by Verne. "You can ask them, they'll tell you. It was out of my hands before I even got there. She negotiated with the vampire before we were even within city limits."

 

"She negotiated?" Cordelia frowned. "We don't negotiate with the bad guys!"

 

"Unless we have good reason," Fred interrupted innocently.

 

"What did they negotiate?" Buffy demanded, hands on her hips. Xander shifted uncomfortably, trying to hide a bit behind Anya.

 

"Well, there was some talk about a fourth mark in six months-"

 

"Six months!" Dawn shouted. Xander winced and nodded, wrapping his arms firmly around his fiancee and burying his face in her side.

 

"She also has to see him five days a week," Xander continued. "But on the plus side, she doesn't have to live with him. Well, she didn't have to live with him before. Things might be really different now, with Asher being punished and all. Jean-Claude pretty much put her under house arrest after that little development."

 

"Those terms suck!" Buffy protested. "Why would she agree to them?"

 

"Because she was in a strange place, unsure of what had been done to her, and only knew that for her own safety, she couldn't cut herself off from Asher?" Anya shook her head. "Honestly, haven't you been paying attention to anything I said about the marks? They change you, really change you. Willow's not just dealing with being separated from all of us. She's dealing with a whole bunch of emotional crap she didn't ask for. She's connected to Asher now; mentally, emotionally, physically-they're like one person almost."

 

"Everytime I hear that it never fails to make me angry," Cordelia shook her head in resignation. "That little rat bastard-"

 

"This is getting us nowhere," Dawn interrupted. "Fine, they're connected. How do we work it so that they can be safely connected with Willow in Sunnydale?"

 

Anya and Xander both fell silent, the latter hugging the former even closer than before, avoiding his friend's eyes completely at this point.

 

"Sunnydale?" Anya bit her lip. "You guys really don't get it do you?"

 

"Get what?" Fred asked, wide-eyed. Xander listlessly kicked at a rock by his toe.

 

"Willow can't come back to Sunnydale."

 

*****

 

Willow sat nervously on a bed, looking from her clasped hand to the floor to Angel to Spike and then back to her hands. Dimly, she could hear the telltale tick of a clock and occasionally she could hear the wind outside the cabin.

 

"Okay, this is getting to be a bit too tense," she muttered, looking up and facing both vampires. "Can we get to the actual talk part of our talk?"

 

Spike chuckled, rising to his feet and throwing himself on the bed behind the redhead.

 

"I've missed the way you say things pet," he told her. Willow spared him a grin before looking back at Angel.

 

"Are we all going to participate, or you just going to brood in the corner?"

 

Angel managed a small smile for her.

 

"You want to talk?" he nodded. "Fine, should we talk about how this all our fault? Or do you just want to discuss the weather?"

 

"It's not your fault," Willow interjected vehemently.

 

"Uh, yes it is pet," Spike interrupted from behind her. "We're the whole cause for this mess."

 

"No, the cause is Asher and his rather twisted sense of right and wrong," Willow insisted. "And I'm happy to report that he is paying for that right now."

 

"But if we hadn't-"

 

"Angel! If I can forgive you months of terror, Jenny, my fish, and trying to end the world, I think I can forgive you something that you did centuries before I was born."

 

Willow fixed both vampires with a firm look, poking Spike in the chest.

 

"And if I can forgive you kidnapping, bottle-in-the-face, and all that crap you pulled during the Initiative crisis, I can certainly forgive you whatever you did to some people I never knew. This is not your fault. Remember that, I'm getting tired of repeating it."

 

Spike shook his head.

 

"Always had a way with words," he chuckled. "So, fine, you forgive us. But can't we feel bad about it?"

 

"No," Willow replied shortly. "But you can tell me how you both managed to get so beat up. Did Buffy . . ."

 

"No," Angel answered, looking slightly sheepish. "Um, what happened was, Spike and I . . ."

 

"Well, there were some circumstances . . ." Spike picked up for his grandsire. Willow looked at both of them suspiciously, folding her arms across her chest.

 

"You beat each other up, didn't you?"

 

"Well, technically yes," Angel shrugged.

 

"It was all the poof's fault," Spike tossed in. Angel's head snapped up, his face indignant.

 

"My fault? You're the one who hid my blood-"

 

"Well, if you could just learn to take a joke every now and then-"

 

"You were trying to starve me! You told me so yourself-"

 

"Peaches, you are such a tattle-"

 

"Bite me Peroxide-"

 

"Hanging out with the moron I see-"

 

"Better him than you-"

 

"And I'm starting to see why Buffy looked so stressed," Willow interjected. "Please don't tell me that you demolished her basement."

 

Both vampires were silent.

 

"I offered to pay for damages," Angel muttered embarrassedly. Spike offered her a sheepish grin.

 

"What can I say? Boys will be boys."

 

Willow rolled her eyes.

 

"You'd think after a couple of centuries those 'boys' would turn into men."


	30. Chapter 30  The Fourth Mark

She was back in that damn room again.

 

Willow sighed, leaning back on her bed and gazing up at the dark ceiling in contemplation. Something should have happened by now, there should be some news. She had made the call to Giles hours ago and he promised to get on it right away. And though he had been very unwilling to release Asher from his prison, Willow knew that Giles would stay true to his word.

 

She shifted around so that she could slide under the cool silk sheets, her stomach churning wildly and her head still aching from her tears. Saying goodbye to her friends had not been easy, especially since none of them wanted to let her go. She was now on her own, Gunn and Xander both being sent home because Jean-Claude felt that they had outstayed their welcome. And so home they went, leaving Willow behind rather reluctantly.

 

It would be ages before she saw any of them again. Jean-Claude would make it damn near impossible for her to see Buffy, Angel, and Spike because he flat out refused to let any of them into his city. Giles was also on shaky ground, and that had more to do with the fact that Willow didn't want him around right now. Giles was not a popular person in St. Louis right now. For him to come here would be a very bad idea, not matter how much Willow missed him. Xander, Anya, and Dawn weren't likely to be kept away, though Willow doubted Buffy would let Dawn visit this city without her older sister. All in all, it looked like Willow would be on her own for quite some time.

 

There was still Anita, who came to see her everyday. The woman wasn't too good with emotionally distraught people, but it still helped to have her around. Jason also showed his face at least once a day though she was sad to hear that Nathaniel was being kept away from the Circus for his own good. When Asher recovered, he probably wouldn't be in the mood to find his human servant chumming it up with the wereleopard she had crazy sex with just a few weeks ago.

 

But since when did she care what Asher was in the mood for? Never, that was the definite answer. But Anita seemed to think that provoking Asher so soon after Giles's revenge might be a bad idea. Willow didn't hear her say it, but she knew that Anita was worried Asher might take his anger out on Nathaniel in order to teach his human servant a lesson. And if that happened, Anita would have to get involved, which would bring Jean-Claude and Richard right back into the mix, and there would be another crisis in the making.

 

Now was not the time for any sort of crisis to happen.

 

Belle Morte. Beautiful death. Asher and Jean-Claude's sire, member of the Vampires' Council, and all around scary vampire lady. Anita had told Willow about her impending arrival weeks ago, and as the days winded down to the time of her arrival, things just got tenser. The shifters were jumpy, the vampires all growly, and even the Executioner was showing signs of anxiety. Belle Morte was not someone to take lightly, and definitely not someone to show any weakness to. And because of Asher's rather screwed up sense of right and wrong, Willow found herself in the position of not only having to meet the vampire, but also facing the risk of having to fight her. Willow wasn't too sure how long she would last in any sort of fight without Buffy there to save her, and quite frankly, she wasn't itching to find out.

 

Still staring up at the ceiling, Willow let her thoughts wander fully to Asher once more, tentatively reaching out and trying to find that part of her mind that was so connected to him. She could still feel him, but she wasn't able to slip in and out of that vision Giles had constructed anymore. That told her that Asher had been released from the curse but didn't tell her much else. Where was the Master Vampire who was undoubtedly very upset with her at the moment? She had been expecting him to come storming into her room the second he was free, and yet he wasn't here. It made her curious.

 

And made her kind of scared.

 

There would be retribution for what happened, she just knew it. Not even Giles would be able to stop Asher from taking his anger out on her in some way. Anita may try to interfere, but Willow doubted that even the Executioner could reign in Asher's anger. He would do something, though Willow couldn't be sure what that might be. He could confine her to this room for ages, though that wouldn't be too different from what Jean-Claude was doing. Hell, he could do a lot of things to make up for what had happened, but Willow knew that he wouldn't do any of those things. If Asher did anything at all, Willow knew exactly what he would do.

 

And that's why she was afraid.

 

Someone was walking up to her door, deliberately making their footsteps loud enough for her to hear. Curious, she turned her head, silently watching as the door to her room was opened and Jason shuffled in. He gave her this pained look, concern flashing in his blue eyes. Willow rose up into a sitting position, watching the werewolf carefully.

 

"He wants to see you."

 

It was like he was forcing the words out of his mouth, a look of real worry coming to his face when she complied and got to her feet. Perhaps he was expecting her to refuse, like she had often in the past. But what good would that do now? If she didn't go willingly, Jean-Claude would send someone to bring her forcibly. And she wasn't in the mood to be manhandled by vampire lackeys today.

 

"Thanks Jason," she murmured as she walked by him. Jason said nothing, still giving her that wide-eyed, pained look before leading her down to Jean-Claude's rooms. She found herself feeling a bit of anticipation, much to her own disgust. She hadn't seen Asher for quite some time, and her forays into his torture sessions didn't really tell her much. Other than hearing his screams, and often hearing HER screams, Willow wasn't able to see much of the vampire. She appeared grateful on the outside, but buried deep inside of her mind, Willow was getting a little anxious about being so far away from Asher. It was the marks; it was always the marks. There were the only things that she hated as much as Asher himself.

 

Jason stopped before a black door, fingers twitching nervously as he looked her way. She tried to give him a reassuringly smile, but she couldn't quite manage it. Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, she waited while Jason knocked on the door and flinched noticeably when Jean-Claude answered.

 

Jason ushered her into the room quickly, leaving her with a comforting squeeze of her shoulder. She barely noticed, eyes traveling the dark room to settle on the people in it. Anita stood with her back pressed to the wall, brown eyes sending Willow a plead for caution. Not far from Anita Jean-Claude sat on a couch, eyes watching her every move. And next to him was Asher, looking downright furious. The vampire looked like hell, his pale face ashen and dark circles under his eyes. His hair was stringy and swept away from his face, the angry scars covering the right side very visible. He seemed to want her to see them and so Willow looked at them without flinching, though she had to stifle a minor jolt of pity that struck somewhere inside her.

 

"Come here." He said it so quietly and yet there was so much force behind it. Willow swallowed nervously, slowly making her way to stand before Asher. Pale blue eyes glared at her though he made no indication of moving. Automatically she dropped her eyes, not wanting to give him the chance to roll her mind. As she got closer, she realized with a shock that he was too weak to even attempt the mind trick. The fire in his eyes was scorching but he wasn't able to muster up the energy for a mind roll.

 

"Sit." He didn't seem to be up for anything other than one or two-word commands. Willow sank down beside him gingerly, a bit of fear starting to creep up her spine. He was angry, as expected, and danger danced in those cold blue eyes. Willow dared a glance at Anita and saw she had her hand on the gun. Willow knew that she just had to give the word and Anita would interfere. However, Willow also knew that she wouldn't take Anita up on that silent offer. She knew what was coming, it had been coming for a long time. And no matter what she did now, it would still happen sooner or later.

 

And with Belle Morte on her way over, it seemed that 'sooner' was a much better idea than 'later'.

 

"You know what I want," he growled at her. She nodded silently, eyes looking anywhere but at him. She caught a look of Jean-Claude's face, knowing instinctively not to look him in the eyes. Asher may be weak at the moment, but Jean-Claude was anything but. Instead, she looked at Anita, resignation all over her face.

 

"You don't have to agree Willow," Anita spoke suddenly, ignoring the angry look from both vampires. "You still have a few months left in the deadline."

 

"You forget that I reserved the right to overturn that deadline if the situation calls for it," Asher grounded out slowly. "The day of Belle Morte's arrival draws near and I am far too weak for it. Thus, the situation calls for it."

 

Willow kept silent, wincing when she felt his cold fingers on her neck. She shot Anita a quelling look, noticing that the Executioner's hand was slowly inching its way to her gun. Willow wasn't sure if Anita would really shoot Asher and Jean-Claude just for her, but she knew this wasn't the time to find out.

 

His fangs brushed over her pulse point briefly and Willow squeezed her eyes shut against the pain she knew was coming. This bite would not be pleasant, he just wasn't in the mood to make it that way for her. And just as she thought, he made this one hurt. Willow gasped, fighting back tears as Asher sank into her neck and began to feed instantly. The room and everything else in it faded into the background until she could only feel Asher's presence. He fed viciously, her blood giving him the extra strength he needed to finally move on his own, wrapping strong arms around her body and pulling her closer. Willow felt herself becoming light-headed, the pain receding into the back as her brain became fuddled and weak. She could hear Anita's voice, no doubt expressing unhappiness at the amount of blood Asher was taking, but still the pain wouldn't stop.

 

When he pulled his fangs out of her neck, it was so sudden and unexpected that she fell backwards onto the couch. Her body was going numb and she couldn't quite shake the dizzy feeling that had come over her. Forcing her eyes open, she couldn't see anything but fuzzy shapes all around her. She could hear some voices, but it sounded like she was hearing them from underwater. She couldn't make out the words, only hear the noises the people around her were making.

 

Something cold touched her lips, a wet drop of something falling on her bottom one. She tentatively flicked out her tongue and licked it off her lip, not surprised to find the coppery taste of blood fill her mouth. A hand went under her head, pushing her a bit upright and supporting her by the neck. She didn't have to look to know that it was Asher who was doing this, not bothering to close her mouth when she felt his other cold hand touch her lips.

 

He guided his wrist over her lips, blood dripping into her mouth rapidly. Willow felt her stomach turn with disgust, but she forced herself to swallow anyway. Pressing her lips to his wrist, she sucked on the tiny slash he had made, drawing more and more blood into her mouth. The cold feeling was leaving her body, replaced with a heat that she was becoming quite familiar with. Having her fill, she wrenched her mouth from his wrist, falling back on the couch and letting the heat wash over her. 

 

Her breath came in ragged gasps and she shut her eyes as a tiny wave of pain came over her. The heat increased in intensity and soon all her senses were being flooded by stimuli that she couldn't quite grasp. The blood left a sour aftertaste in her mouth and she wished she could cough it all up and out of her body. But she knew that it wasn't an option. The deed was already done, the heat and the many sensations leaving her and the lure of heavy sleep overcoming her.

 

Her head turned to one side, the rest of her body going limp. Sleep was coming upon her fast and she heard the others begin to move once more. She was lifted up into a cold embrace, Asher's no doubt, and carried from the room. With the fourth mark placed upon his human servant, she knew that Asher would be strong enough to face Belle Morte at Jean-Claude's side. He would leave her be until after the entourage departed from the city. And then he would return his attention to her.

 

Willow was not looking forward to that.


	31. Chapter 31  Dusk Draws Near . . .

Jean-Claude was very unhappy. 

 

Belle Morte was due to arrive tomorrow night and the whole Circus was in a state of uproar. Anita had arrived sometime after sunset and was currently pacing the floor of his office, opening the door now and then to shout out commands to whoever happened to be in the hallway. Asher was rather busy with Willow, giving his new human servant a very brief but hopefully thorough talk about what would be expected of her come tomorrow night. 

 

But that was not why Jean-Claude was unhappy. Willow was part of the reason why he was unhappy, but luckily for her, this time he knew he could not take his anger out on her. After all, it wasn't entirely her fault that Mr. Rupert Giles was turning out to be the most annoying human he had ever encountered in all his years. Willow merely provided the motivation for Giles to irritate him. She was not the one pulling the strings behind this mess. 

 

His financial affairs were starting to get very complicated. Several of his business prospects were being snatched up right from underneath his nose, which was a surprise because not too many people wanted to anger him by encroaching on his territory. Imagine his surprise to find that a large British-based corporation was the cause of most of his troubles. It did not take much digging for him to find out who owned this corporation, and it did nothing to quell his anger. 

 

The Watchers had no business meddling in his affairs. They were wreaking absolute havoc on his businesses, running some of the newer ones right into the ground and setting up shop in their place. If he tried hard enough, Jean-Claude was pretty certain he would find out that they were the ones behind the sudden outbreak of anti-vampire demonstrations in front of nearly every one of his establishments. Just the other night some Humans First activists had been arrested by the Guilty Pleasures, but not before they smashed a few of his windows. One of the lunatics attempted to burn the place down, though that had been quickly thwarted by his own security forces. Either way, it had been a chaotic week for him and he knew exactly who was at fault. 

 

Now the only complication was to find the most painful and humiliating way to have Mr. Giles murdered that wouldn't result in yet another meltdown between the two Councils. So far, he had been unsuccessful in this endeavour, though he was starting to think a war with the Watchers might just be worth the risk if he was able to get his hands around Giles's neck . . . 

 

And that sort of thinking was getting him nowhere. 

 

"Why are you so pissed off?" Anita snapped at him suddenly. He raised cool eyes, masking his anger just a bit before he pushed some of his files her way. She snatched them up quickly, flipping through the papers rapidly before turning back to him. "What am I looking at?" 

 

"You are looking at Mr. Giles's latest attempt at punishing moi," he replied slowly, clasping his hands together and resting them on his lap. "Apparently his lust for vengeance was not sated with his assault on Asher." 

 

"Well, what did you expect?" Anita muttered, throwing the papers back onto his desk. "That man loves all those kids like they were his own. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out. He's not going away any time soon Jean-Claude." 

 

"And that is precisely my problem," Jean-Claude sighed. "I cannot allow this sort of assault on my person to continue ma petite, but things are still so delicate between both Councils that any retaliatory action on my part would not be wise." 

 

"And Belle Morte is on her way here to admonish you for what already did happen," Anita continued, stopping her pacing and settling uncomfortably down in a chair. "What are you going to do?" 

 

"I am going to wait on Belle Morte," he answered simply. "I will see what she and the Council has to say about this. And after her departure, I will send Mr. Giles a reminder about who he is dealing with. I think he has lost all sense of prudence in this quest for revenge. Stopping it now would be much better for his health." 

 

"You can't kill him," Anita warned him. "If that doesn't bring the Slayer down on your head, I don't know what will. Remember, having Willow here is no real measure of protection from that lot. Look at what they did to Asher. Just think of what they could do to you." 

 

"They should all know that provoking me is not in their best interest," Jean-Claude sneered. "If this continues, I will deal with Monsieur Giles and his little band of Watchers, regardless of what the Slayer threatens to do. If he wants a war, I shall be more than happy to give him one." 

 

Anita glared at him. "That's the attitude that got you in trouble in the first place." 

 

~*~

 

The sun went down and he went to sleep. But Willow couldn't bring herself do the same. Though she hadn't slept the whole night through, her confinement to her bed to recover from the fourth mark had been more than enough rest for her. She wasn't even sure what she was supposed to be recovering from. After the original swoon at getting the fourth mark, she had been feeling a lot stronger than before. But Asher insisted that she stay in bed, probably just to spite her. Either way, she had been locked in her room since that night. But now, the sun was up and the vampires had gone to bed. The only thing left for the humans and shifters to do was wait for the storm to come.

 

Belle Morte was due to arrive that night, and not one creature in the Circus had any iota of calm that morning. She ventured out of her room looking for food, surprised to find such a level of chaos in the halls. But it was understandable, in a way. Belle Morte and her entourage were on their way. They would be here that very night. There might be a fight, people could die, and Jean-Claude was facing down a serious threat to his rule of St. Louis. Normally she wouldn't had cared too much about anything happening to the Master of the City, but Anita had warned her several times over the past few weeks that Belle Morte was not going to be any better than Jean-Claude.

 

In fact, Anita was pretty damn certain that Belle would be a thousand times worse. And that pretty much explained why Anita was cleaning her guns so much while snapping at Richard on the phone. The Ulfric also had much on the line when Belle Morte came to town tonight. If for some reason Belle decided to make an attempt on Jean-Claude's life, she would be making an attempt on Richard's life. And the Ulfric was not going to sit back and let that happen. He was even cooperating with the Master of the City just the other day.

 

Ah Death, the great motivator. If it could make those two egos simmer down and play nice, was there anything that it couldn't do?

 

Of course, her sarcasm was just another way of covering up how insanely scared she was at this moment. Asher was angry with Belle Morte, she could feel that much, but she could also feel that he was worried about her arrival. It seems like Belle Morte was a very strong and very unpredictable vampire, always a bad combination. Just look at Spike during the un-chipped days. Can we say bottle-in-the-face?

 

But then again, Belle Morte made Spike's antics look like child's play. Willow hadn't actually ever laid eyes on a vampire as old as Belle Morte was rumored to be. Buffy had, with the Master and Kakistos, but Willow herself had never seen a vampire older than Darla all her life. She had seen the Master's bones, that they just didn't have the same effect that the actual vampire would have.

 

She had heard that Hellmouth variety of vampires got stronger as they aged, developing powers as they hit the thousand year mark. But the really scary thing was that all those powers the thousand-year-old very strong vampires got were powers that these kind of vampires obtained upon rising. So that meant all the horror stories Buffy had ever told her about those two ancient vampires she had slain would have to be multiplied by a couple of hundred degrees of scary before they would be able to rival good old Belle Morte.

 

And if she kept thinking like this, she was likely to pass out from terror.

 

She roamed the halls all day, snagging some food from the gigantic mess that was the kitchen before meeting up with Jason and heading back to her room. She and the werewolf played endless amount of card games from the pack Jason produced from his pocket, wasting away the hours without saying a word. There was an unspoken agreement between the two of them not to mention what was coming. Willow could almost pretend like it wasn't going to happen, but her brain refused to her fear go.

 

Anita showed up some time after lunch. She barked some orders at Jason that had him scurrying out of the room. She took one look at Willow and ordered the girl back to bed. Anita insisted that Willow get some sleep before Belle Morte and her entourage arrived, saying that Willow would need her strength to get through the night. Willow had agreed with reluctance, flippantly asking Anita how Jean-Claude was doing though they both knew that she didn't quite care. Anita grumbled out a response, saying something that sounded suspiciously like "stupid Watcher asswipes", before ordering Willow to sleep and stomping out the door.

 

Willow climbed under her covers and stared at the celing for about an hour when finally sleep did take her over. Her nap wasn't at all restful and when she awoke about two hours later, Willow wasn't feeling rejuvenated in the least.

 

All of that ceased to matter when the clock struck six. The tension in the halls shot right through the roof. Willow attempted to leave her room only to have a female wolf throw some clothes at her and order her to get ready. Willow had made a face at the leather and lace dress given to her but knew by now that arguing what futile. She struggled into the tight-fitting dress, grateful that it was ankle-length even though the slit going dangerously high up her thigh did little to appease her.

 

At about six-thirty, two more female wolves came in. They sat her down by her vanity and one proceeded to do her hair while the other did her makeup. She was ready to go just before seven, knowing without looking outside that the sun was well on its way down. She could feel Asher starting to rise, feel his own anxiety about the night which only served to increase her own.

 

She stumbled out of her room a few minutes after seven, walking carefully in the incredibly long heels Asher had sent to match her dress. Her hair was curled and framing her face, her makeup done in all shades of red which set off her already pale face in a Gothic manner. Looking the part of the vampire's bride, Willow made her way to see her master.

 

She reached Jean-Claude's office shortly, stepping inside to find both the Master and his second in command deep in conversation already. Anita was also there, glaring up a storm in an ensemble similar to Willow's though Anita's skirt was much shorter and her guns were strapped within easy reach on the inner side of her thighs. Asher snapped at her for being late, ordering her to take a seat before continuing his conversation with Jean-Claude. Willow did as she was told mechanically, the fear of the impending crisis catching up to very quickly. Anita sat at her side and patted her shoulder in what was supposed to be a comforting manner. Willow just gave her a weak smile and turned her eyes to the clock. It was seven-forty-five. There was only fifteen minutes left. Willow let out a shaky breath and desperately wished that Buffy was here to protect her.

 

But it was futile. The clock struck eight and silence fell over the Circus. Willow sat nervously on the couch, clucking Anita's hand tightly as she tried to calm her breathing. Asher was next to her, reminding her that she had to keep her cool and it was all she could do to stop herself from yelling at him. Keep her cool? Was he fucking joking?

 

There was a knock at the door that caused her to jump. Anita jumped to answer it and Willow took up Asher's hand instead, not even thinking twice before she tried to shrink into her master in her fear. The door opened to reveal Jason, looking naughty in all black leather but his face paler and grimmer than usual.

 

"The cars arrived. They're here."


	32. Chapter 32  Beautiful Death

Asher had led her out of the office with her arm entwined in his. She supposed they made quite the appearance, the vampire and his servant, though not quite the same impression Anita, Jean-Claude, and Richard made. The Ulfric had been waiting for them in the hall, and stepped up to join the rest of the Triumvariate. He was dressed in a black suit, complete with handkerchief in his pocket and gray vest. It was close to a tuxedo, but not quite, and he looked just delicious. If they hadn't been about to face the boogeywoman of all vampires, she would have swooned.

 

"Do not meet her eyes," Asher whispered to her. "Do not look up unless you have to. If she addresses you directly, allow me to handle it. She will attempt to get a rise out of you, ignore her. Just stay beside me and allow the rest of us to handle Belle Morte."

 

"You're welcome to it," Willow said with a nervous laugh. Asher could hear the fear on her voice, and he readjusted his arm so that it encircled her waist. Usually being so close to him drove Willow crazy, with anger and desire alternatively. But right now, it was comforting. She leaned into him, her hand going up to play with the lapels of his jacket.

 

"Calm down," Anita whispered to her as they moved towards the main area of the Circus. "They'll know you're afraid if you don't calm down."

 

"Not freaking likely," I replied shakily. "It isn't going to happen, so don't even try. You guys deal with the vamps, I'll try my best not to hyperventilate."

 

Asher quickly shooed Anita away and drew Willow even closer. The redhead leaned into him despite herself, her fear increasing as they got closer and closer to the meeting place. She so did not want to be here; she didn't even belong here. Why the hell was she here?

 

Asher tightened his grip on her waist, as if knowing her thoughts were drifting towards a quick escape. He probably did know, with the stupid marks and everything. Willow felt a flash of annoyance and wondered if her thoughts would ever be her own again. Looking up at Asher's face, the scarred side hidden perfectly by his hair, Willow felt the weight of the marks yet again. This was it, he was it, the last man she would ever have in her life. And he wasn't even one of the living.

 

They entered the main arena of the Circus to find the entourage waiting for them. Jean-Claude, Anita, and Richard were in front, all three of them walking confidently but cautiously up to their guests. Willow looked at Anita and saw that though her head was held high, her eyes were downcast. She took Anita's lead and plastered her eyes to the murderous pencil heels Asher had sent with her outfit. Looking down at the shoes, she felt another flare of irritation against her master. Could he have dressed her up any worse?

 

She thinks she hears laughter in her head and sends a sharp look up towards him. His expression has not changed, it is as serious as ever. She avoids his eyes, because master or not, she did not want to be mesmerized by any vampire. She looks hard at his profile and feels nothing but utter determination as they made their way closer to his sire.

 

They stopped suddenly, and Jean-Claude's making introductions. She hears him mention names, and moves when Asher gives her a tiny s queeze. The two of them step out from behind the leading trio and Asher meets the stares of the entourage head-on. She does not. Her blood is pounding in her ears and only Asher's grip on her waist keeps her from flying away. She may not be looking at the new arrivals, but she could feel them and their power. It's nearly suffocating and she leans further into Asher's side whilst not removing her eyes from the floor.

 

A voice reached her, a beautiful silky voice that caused her to shiver. It was a feminine voice, so husky and wonderful, it held promises of delicious things. The mere sound of it wanted to make her look up, to find the person who spoke with such a voice, but it was Asher who kept her still again. His arm tightened for a longer period than before, to the point where Willow knew she was getting red in the face. She turned her head away from the voice, away from the regular conversation, and looked at him. His mouth was set in a thin line and he looked decidedly unhappy. His hand travelled up from where it had rested on her waist to land on her shoulder. Cold fingers touched the side of her face and Willow felt the slight pressure he exerted. She understood the message and continued to keep her eyes on his face.

 

The conversation to this point had been in French, and though Willow had excelled at the subject in school, this level of French was beyond her high-school grasp of it. So she didn't bother trying to catch it, instead facing Asher as he wished and let her fingers idly play with his coat. She preoccupied herself with running her fingers lightly over the smooth velvet, resting her hand flat on his chest when he spoke occasionally to feel the rumbles in his chest. She was so caught up in remaining focused on Asher that she missed it when Belle Morte finally switched from French to English, and began to address her master specifically.

 

" . . .for this one. She has some qualities, but I honestly expected you to do much better, Asher. Or perhaps this is the best you could manage in your . . . condition?"

 

Wow, a petty, low-hitting vampiress. Willow felt a flare of anger, though she wasn't sure if it came from herself or from Asher. Belle Morte was trying to rile the both of them, though to what purpose Willow didn't know. Her fingers gripped the lace of Asher's shirt tightly and her eyes remained focus on his jacket.

 

"She has no manners either," Belle Morte continued. "Have you taught her nothing? She insults me by refusing to acknowledge my prescence."

 

"That's a lie," Anita said firmly. "You know she's frightened; just leave her be Belle Morte."

 

"Frightened?" Belle Morte laughed, a sound that made Willow want to faint from pleasure. "What cause does she have to be frightened of me? From the rumours that have reached my ears, the newest addition to our family has quite the group of protectors. The Watchers' Council and the Vampire Slayer, a force to be reckoned with, I'm told. I am sure Asher can verify that for everyone. News of your punishment traveled swiftly, mon petit."

 

"The time for loving nicknames has passed for us, has it not my lady?" Asher asked with venom in his voice. "It was not long ago that you cast me from your bed, so disgusted you were with what I had become."

 

"You forget your place, my boy," Belle Morte replied icily. "I am not some Watcher sent to chastise you, nor am I one of this girl's pathetic human friends. I come from the Council, our Council, and you have come close to destroying almost everything we have been working for. Had your antics been known to the public, they could have gone quite a ways to ending the American experiment."

 

"That is highly unlikely," Jean-Claude interrupted. "And I was not aware that you came with the Council's permission to discipline Asher for his actions."

 

"The Council's official position on the matter is that everything that should have been done, has been done," Belle Morte revealed. "They felt that the Watchers' punishment was fitting. But I do not agree with them entirely. You very near caused a meltdown between both councils, something that could have had disastrous results. Think of what they did to you, keeping little Willow's safety in mind. Now think of what they could do to the rest of us who are not so lucky as to have Willow as a bargaining chip. Jean-Claude himself is starting to realize what they are capable of, though they have not yet dared to make their attacks direct. How long do you think that will last?"

 

Willow frowned, finally turning her eyes away from Asher's jacket to cast another look up at his face. His face was as neutral as it had been before, though she felt his anger building up. She pulled an inch back from him, stopping when he gave her waist a small squeeze. Belle Morte had fallen back into French and was currently discussing something with Jean-Claude. Her tone was as cool and mocking as before, and Willow didn't need to understand French to know that she was demanding something of the Master of the city.

 

Willow let her eyes slide briefly away from her master to look over the others. Jason and the other shifters remained on the sidelines for this confrontation, though they appeared ready to fight should the need rise. Anita stood patiently at Jean-Claude's side as he conversed with Belle Morte, but Willow could see that her hands were ready to grab her gun at the drop of a hat. Richard, who had remained oddly quiet the entire time, stood just to the left of Jean-Claude, a look of absolute seriousness on his face. His eyes scanned over the crowded Circus occasionally and Willow could tell that he was as tense as the others.

 

Sharp words, nearly shouted in French, caused her attention to turn towards Jean-Claude. Instinct turned her head to where the Master of the city stood, and in doing so Willow got her first ever look at the infamous Belle Morte. She was gorgeous, from what Willow could see. Willow was careful to keep from looking into her eyes, but still she could tell how beautiful the vampiress was. Long, curling brown hair that trailed down her back, framing a delicate face with attractive features. A mouth with full red lips, high cheekbones, curvy body with an ample bosom completed the picture. Belle Morte was just stunning.

 

And apparently making Jean-Claude and Asher very angry. Both vampires were shaking their heads and nearly scowling as they argued with their sire. Willow was shocked when Asher shoved her behind him and out of Belle Morte's line of vision, though he kept a hand on her left wrist. Willow gave Anita a confused look, though the Executioner was too busy glaring in Belle Morte's general direction to notice. The shouting subsided almost as quickly as it began, though Jean-Claude and Asher were still very much angry. Willow could hear Belle Morte laughing cruelly at her children before she resumed talking in that same collected voice as before.

 

Asher gave her another push, this time leading her straight into Jason's arms. The werewolf grabbed her by the arm and immediately led her back towards the rooms. Willow gripped his arm tightly as she followed his lead, travelling through the winding hallways until they ended up at her room once more. Jason opened the door with shaking hands and ushered Willow in. She could see three more shifters coming their way, surprised to see them take up posts on either side of her door before Jason shut it.

 

"Um, not that I'm not glad to be away from all that, but what happened?" Willow asked of Jason. The werewolf gave her a weak look and led her over to her bed.

 

"Listen Willow, Asher wants you to stay here, with me, until the sun rises," he told her, purposefully avoiding answering her original question. "I'm not sure, but I think he's going to let Anita take you to her house once the sun rises."

 

"What? Why?" Willow squeaked. "Jason, what the hell is going on out there?"

 

"Belle Morte has made it clear that she and her entourage will be staying here during their stay," Jason replied nervously. "Asher doesn't think you'd be comfortable staying in the same building-"

 

"Liar," she interrupted him. "Jason, just tell me the truth. What did she say that made them both so angry?"

 

Jason looked lost, and more than a bit scared. He licked his lips and wiped his sweaty hands on his pants as she waited for an answer. "Belle Morte has expressed some interest in you and Anita," he finally revealed. "She has made the suggestion that since they are our guests, we all should join in to make them feel welcome. And that includes housing them, feeding them, and . . ."

 

Willow frowned when he mumbled the last part, leaning in closer to the werewolf to hear him better. "What was that last thing?"

 

Jason was obviously uncomfortable, looking anywhere but at her as he answered. "And satisfying them," he said softly. "Particularly when it comes to feeding the ardeur."

 

"She wants me and Anita to have sex with her?" I demanded with fear in my voice.

 

"No, nothing like that," Jason assured me. "But she told Jean-Claude and Asher that you two would be better suited to satisfy the needs of her consort, Artuo. They disagreed, wholeheartedly."

 

"I should hope so," Willow replied in a shaky voice. "Because that's just sick."

 

"Willow, you don't understand," Jason told her urgently. "Artuo is one of Belle Morte's favourite men, and this is not the first time she has made such a request. She did it once before, when Juliana was still alive. Jean-Claude and Asher refused back then too, because they're wary of Artuo. He doesn't have the nicest reputation."

 

"I'm not surprised," she muttered dully.

 

"Listen Willow, this is important," Jason said seriously. "Belle Morte only made that request because she was jealous of the care and devotion Jean-Claude and Asher showed Juliana. A lot of us think she's just as jealous of Anita, because of everything that's happened, and that she considers Anita a real physical threat. She might see you the same way, because of everything that Mr. Giles has done on your behalf."

 

"You're saying that Belle Morte might see me as a threat?" Willow asked in disbelief. Jason just nodded before shooting another nervous look at the door.

 

"And if she does, they're afraid she'll try to eliminate that threat."


	33. Chapter 33  The Calm Before The Storm

From experience, Willow knew that any day spent at Anita's was bound to be interesting in some way. There were too many people, and way too many supernatural people, in that house for anything to ever be boring. And true to form, Willow's latest stay at Anita's was no less entertaining than the last. And while she had been very afraid at Asher the first time, her stay this time was different. She wasn't frightened this time, she was absolutely petrified.

 

Her fear wasn't exactly helping matters with Anita's housemates. Willow remembered that Jason had once told her that shifters could smell fear, and that it reeked havoc on their senses. Supposedly it made them kind of hungry, especially close to full moon time. And as luck would have it, or lack of luck depending on your perspective, Willow's stay at Anita's coincided with the week of the full moon. So while she was afraid, pretty much all the time, the shifters around her were trying their best not to try anything while they guarded her life.

 

It wasn't really working out that great. Willow once found herself cornered by Caleb, with said wereleopard trying to nuzzle her neck. If it hadn't been for Anita's impeccable sense of timing, and her gun, Willow wasn't sure what would have happened, but she was pretty sure she wouldn't have liked it much.

 

"How much longer can this vampire possibly stay?" Willow began to moan on the fifth day at Anita's. "Isn't there some sort of time limit on how long Council members can be away from said Council?"

 

"I don't think it works like that," Nathaniel answered sympathetically from his spot in front of the stove. Willow turned in her seat at the kitchen table and watched the wereleopard cook her lunch. Nathaniel was the only shifter she actually liked spending time with at Anita's. Jason was a close second, but she hadn't seen him since the first night he had dropped her off here. Anita as well was hardly ever around. If she wasn't at work or on call for the cops, she was usually at the Circus trying to back up Jean-Claude. Willow wondered when Anita found time for sleeping or eating. The woman was always moving, and lately it was starting to show on her face. From what little she had seen of Anita, the brunette looked more worn out than Willow had ever seen her. Willow hoped she didn't collapse or anything. That wasn't likely to help matters, or make that much of a good impression on Belle Morte and her bunch.

 

"So, she can just stay as long as she feels like?" Willow frowned. "What's to stop her from setting up shop for good?"

 

"Well, I don't think she could stay unless she wanted to become Master of the City," Nathaniel shrugged.

 

"But what about Jean-Claude?" she asked as she picked at the table cloth. "Isn't there only supposed to be one Master of the City? How could Belle Morte become Master? Is there some sort of city-wide vampire election?"

 

"Not exactly," he replied with a grimace. "Belle Morte could only supplant Jean-Claude by killing him."

 

Willow made a face. "I should have guessed that," she murmured. "Isn't it always a killing thing?"

 

"That is how most things work here," Nathaniel said as he placed a grilled cheese sandwich in front of her. "I know it seems kind of harsh-"

 

"Actually, kind of reminds me of home," Willow interjected with a faint grin. "Sunnydale's all about survival of the fittest and all that other junk. If you're not a tough enough demon, then you're pretty much screwed. If Buffy doesn't get you, one of the other demons will."

 

"Sounds lovely," Cherry grumbled as she ambled into the kitchen, heading straight for the coffee. "Where is everyone?"

 

"Zane's in the shower, Anita's at work, Caleb is still sleeping, and Micah's outside," Willow rattled off before Nathaniel could reply. "Any news from the battlefront?"

 

Cherry frowned. "'Battlefront'?"

 

"She means the Circus," Nathaniel explained. "Have you heard anything?"

 

"Nah, but I haven't been around in a while," Cherry said with a shrug. "But I think it's pretty the same as before. Belle Morte's posing, Jean-Claude's posing right back, and Anita's getting ready to shoot them all so she can finally get some sleep."

 

"If he just let me call in some friends, I'm sure we could intimidate Belle Morte right into leaving," Willow grumbled. "But no, silly little Master can't stand the thought of asking for help."

 

"Well, your friends aren't exactly some of his favourite people," Nathaniel reminded her. "In fact, he probably thinks all this mess is their fault-"

 

"But it's not," Willow snapped. "It's his fault, and Asher's fault. They both know it, even if they won't admit it."

 

"Would your friends even want to help?" Cherry asked as she searched for a coffee mug. "I mean, they don't really like Jean-Claude, and they're not shy about admitting it. They probably wouldn't jump at the chance to help him out."

 

Willow shrugged and gave her a quick grin. "Yeah, but once all that stuff about Belle Morte wanting to give me to this Artuo guy, they'd probably be very motivated."

 

~*~

 

Giles looked over the various files on his desk, a wicked smirk on his face as he poured over the fruits of his labour. Jean-Claude hasn't been having the greatest time, business-wise, and Giles was planning on adding as much pressure to the Master of St. Louis as he could. Already he could tell that Jean-Claude was being aggravated by the Council's meddling, and it served the slimy bastard right for all he had done in the plot against Willow. Add onto that that Giles knew that Belle Morte was currently making her presence felt in St. Louis, Jean-Claude was most definitely having the most miserable week of his unlife.

 

And how to make that unlife even worse was Giles's current goal. He had all the books, he had a large number of people working on the problem, and soon the final phase of Jean-Claude's punishment would go into play. But, there was one teensy complication. Belle Morte was still in St. Louis, and while her effect on Jean-Claude was certainly gratifying to watch, Giles was not stupid enough to give the old vampire the opportunity she needed to usurp Jean-Claude, if that was what she intended on doing. As the saying went, better the devil you know, and all that jazz. While he despised Jean-Claude quite thoroughly, he still preferred Willow being around him than around Belle Morte. Jean-Claude may be a bastard, but Giles knew he wasn't nearly as sadistic as he had heard that Belle Morte was. And there was the matter of Artuo. Giles had read up on him, and he didn't like what he had learned. He didn't know enough of who Belle Morte had brought with her, but it was likely that Artuo was there. And if what his information told him, she would most likely demand that someone provide entertainment for her favourite little childe.

 

And she might demand Willow be that entertainment.

 

So, Jean-Claude earned himself a bit of a reprieve due to sheer dumb luck. Giles had a close eye on the happenings in St. Louis, and as soon as Belle Morte leaves, then Jean-Claude's punishment would truly begin. But not one second sooner. Willow had been through far too much to have to deal with the mess that would come with a change in Masters.

 

He would bide his time. Giles may not have all the time that Jean-Claude ultimately did, but certainly had long enough to wait this drama out. He would get Jean-Claude, for Willow, and he would make sure that everyone knew that you didn't mess with his family without having to face the horrible consequences.

 

It would be soon.


	34. Chapter 34

"Was it worth it?"

 

Asher lifted cool blue eyes to look upon his uninvited guest. "Musette," he said in way of greeting, careful to keep his voice as even as possible. He looked over at one of Belle Morte's favourite vampires, appraising her quietly. It had been some time since he had last seen Musette, and from what he could tell, she was as lovely, and deadly, as ever.

 

"Asher," she replied with a wicked grin. "You failed to answer my question."

 

"You're awfully abrupt," he said in return. "Then again, it is close to sunrise, and you probably have much mischief to do on your mistress's behalf."

 

"You know me so well," she purred. "And you're avoiding my question. Was it worth it?"

 

"Revenge is never simple, nor is it clean," he shrugged. "I knew there would be consequences, but I did it anyway. That should answer your question, should it not?"

 

"And yet those consequences were so much more devastating than any of us thought possible," Musette continued, sauntering her way into his sitting room. She draped herself over his armchair and flashed him that grin again. "Quite a trick those Watchers managed to pull. Even Belle Morte was surprised by what they did. I suppose we all failed to see how important this little girl was to the other Council. Has it made you wary?"

 

"'Wary'?" he repeated. "Of what, exactly? She is my human servant. There is not much more they could do without harming their precious little friend."

 

"But surely you have been cowed somewhat by their actions," she continued to push. "After all, have you not locked her away from Belle Morte on their command?"

 

Asher felt a jolt of anger. "No human commands me," he nearly growled at the other vampire.

 

"And yet, you've shuttled her off, away from all of us," Musette laughed. "Tell me Asher, what is it that you're afraid will happen if she is allowed to be near us? Belle Morte's request was a fair one-"

 

"Artuo will not be allowed to put one finger on my servant," Asher cut her off quickly. "This is not a negotiable point. I will not give her to him."

 

"Why? Are you jealous?" Musette narrowed her eyes. "You seem quite willing to share her with Jean-Claude and his little human. Did you not allow Anita to feed off your little Willow?"

 

"Perhaps I did not make myself clear," Asher snapped at his guest. "This is not negotiable. If that is the only reason you have come, then you can go right now. My answer has not changed, nor will it change. Willow is not going to be Artuo's toy during his stay. Belle Morte will simply have to find another way to keep her pet occupied."

 

Musette fell silent, her grin fading and a serious look upon her face. "You know it is unwise to deny Belle Morte like this," she warned him. "And over such a trivial little human. Is she worth all the trouble you have encountered?"

 

"She is my vengeance," he replied shortly. "And that makes her very important."

 

Musette shook her head, clucking her tongue in disappointment as she rose to her feet. "You and Jean-Claude, both of you are far too attached to your humans. You always have been. I suppose that's why this whole mess started. Have you not, in all your years, learned to let things go?"

 

"Would you be saying this to me if it had been your home, and your people, that had been destroyed?" he asked her. "Would you be asking me that if Angelus and his despicable little childe had defied you? You know very well that if such a thing had befallen you, you would have pursued your vengeance as ruthlessly as I did."

 

"You could be right," Musette relented. "I suppose we'll never know. Of course, I would have just tracked down the bastards and gutted them myself."

 

"Yes, but then where would the suffering be?" Asher asked her. "Quick and bloody vengeance only feels rewarding for a short time. But to draw out their suffering, that would be so much more satisfying."

 

"You were lucky that these two vampires fell into such circumstances," Musette told him. "What would you have done if things had been different? Would you still be waiting for that perfect opportunity?"

 

Asher smirked. "For what they did, I would have waited forever."

 

~*~

 

There was something inherently charming about Charles. He was a small boy, not as beautiful as some of the other children, but there was always something about him that drew people's attention. He had an intelligence about him that distanced him from children his own age. And he was a verifiable genius when it came to the arts. By ten, he had excelled at the violin and the piano, though the latter would become his passion later on in life. By sixteen, he was the closest thing to a master pianist that he had seen in many years.

 

Jean-Claude had adored that boy. He had housed him, clothed him, and fed him since the day he had heard Charles play the violin. The boy was not a flawless player in those days, but the potential had been there, and Jean-Claude always loved those with potential, especially those with potential in the arts. Jean-Claude adored the arts, and he had been very pleased with Charles. He would have Charles play for him almost immediately upon his rising and once before he slept for the day. Perhaps Jean-Claude had entertained thoughts of turning Charles from the very beginning, he would never know. It was certainly something that they discussed amongst themselves many times, but it was always felt that Charles would yet too young. Perhaps when he was eighteen. Perhaps.

 

Charles would never live to see his eighteenth birthday, and that was something Jean-Claude would never, ever forget. They had had plans for Charles, it might even have been true that they doted upon him. Charles was certainly someone special to them, and his murder was a crime beyond their ability to forgive. To remember the young boy, so full of life, reduced to a mess at the time of his death. He would never forget the sight of the young boy, stripped of his clothes, and covered in his own blood. He would never forget the sight of the mutilation, those talented hands cut off from the body and posed mockingly upon the grand piano they had brought for the boy. He would never that horrific "A" carved into Charles's back.

 

He would never forget any of it.

 

~*~

 

Willow gasped in shock and bolted upright in bed. Her breathing was hard and laboured, and her stomach felt awful. Her movements jostled Nathaniel and caused the wereleopard to wake.

 

"Willow?" he mumbled sleepily. "What's the matter?"

 

Willow shook her head, unable to say anything. Her eyes went to the bedroom window and she was surprised to see that it was well into the morning. That meant he was sleeping, that meant he was dreaming . . .

 

But did he do it on purpose?

 

"Willow?" Nathaniel asked again, more awake by this point. "What's wrong?"

 

"Nothing," she assured him weakly. "Nothing to worry about. Just a bad dream."

 

"What was it about?" he asked her, still worried.

 

Willow sighed and flopped backwards onto her bed. "Something I wish I hadn't seen," she replied sadly. "But something I think Asher wants me to know."

 

"Asher?" Nathaniel looked shocked. "Asher was in your dream?"

 

"Not in it, but behind it," Willow answered certainly. "I don't know what he's playing at, but I'm going to find out."

 

"But you can't see him yet," Nathaniel reminded her. "It's too dangerous."

 

Willow snorted and scrambled her way out of bed. "He should have thought of that before he pulled this stunt," she grumbled. "I'm going to find Anita. I think it's time I headed back to the Circus."


End file.
